Wings of Dreams
by Holy Leonheart
Summary: *Chapter 24 UP!* "He didn't want that smile to be given to someone who wasn't him." Based on story of FeMC in P3P. Her name was Hikaru Akane. One girl, two best friends. Pairing: Akihiko/Hikaru/Shinjiro. Love triangles. Minor one-sided. *Pls review!*
1. Chapter 1 The Beginning

**Author's Note: **It's my second time writing story in English. I know I still need to improve a lot. Please review so I could improve it :3 Thank you for reading!  
I named my female protagonist 'Hikaru Akane', so I decided to use her name in the story too.  
I'm still undecided on the ultimate couple. So I'm still pondering around whether to be Hikaru/Akihiko or Hikaru/Shinjiro. So I'll leave it like this for a while. XD  
Also, important note. I **don't** write it according to the timeline in P3P because Shinjiro would have much less role if I do. So I'm just mixing/messing around with the timeline and events.  
Please bear with me XD  
Other than that, I hope you enjoy the story and thank you for reading! :3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

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**Chapter 1 The Beginning**

**Tartarus – Dark Hour**

"Persona!" A brunette girl cried out as she pointed an Evoker to her head and pulled the trigger. A sound of shattering glass rang through her mind before a dragon-like Persona appeared from thin air.

"Agidyne!" The same girl ordered loud and clear. The fire spread from the dragon to the large Shadow and it disappeared, leaving nothing behind.

"I think.. We're done for today." She said to her three teammates. Her red eyes looked down and she was panting.

"Are you okay, Hikaru?" Worry in that familiar voice caused her to look up, only to see her best friend looking at her with concern.

"Yeah.. I'm alright.. I think I'm just tired." Hikaru forced a smile, still trying to catch her breath. "Thanks, Yukari."

"Man, you don't look so good." Junpei frowned before tilting his head to the side. "You want a piggyback ride? I'll help—"

"Don't even think, Stupei!" Yukari cut him off before he could finish, her eyes glared at him intently.

"But Hikaru needs help! You can't—"

"Let me." And without any permission or argument whatsoever, Akihiko lifted Hikaru up into his arms in one quick motion and started to walk toward the access point. This caused the person in action and the other two to look at him, speechless.

"Um.. S-Sanada-senpai.." Hikaru said nervously, her red eyes widened as her cheeks were getting red.

"I don't want to hear it." Akihiko answered sharply, still looking ahead. "I allowed you to do as you want up to this point, now it's my turn."

"B-But.." She tried to protest, eyes glancing at Yukari and Junpei who were still quite far away, arguing.

"They won't suspect a thing. It's normal. You're tired and I'm just helping you get back down safely. You're worrying too much." The kindness in his voice and the warm gaze from his grey eyes make Hikaru's face even redder.

"Even so.." She paused, looking away shyly. "It's embarrassing."

A gentle smile stretched across Akihiko's face. He chuckled softly, removing a strand of hair out of her face.

"You always push yourself so hard. You worry me, you know?" His voice was soft, almost a whisper, but it was full of love and care.

"I'm sorry.." Hikaru said quietly, wearing an apologetic look on her face.

"Call my name."

"Huh?" She was quite surprised by the sudden request.

"Call my name and I'll forgive you." Akihiko demanded and Hikaru blushed a darker shade of pink before looking away, avoiding his gaze.

"I'm sorry I worried you.. A-Aki-hiko" This make Akihiko smiled brightly. He blushed faint red as he flicked his eyes over to Yukari and Junpei before leaning down and gently kissed Hikaru's forehead.

"Apology accepted."

Hikaru stayed silent as Akihiko carried her down the Tartarus through the access point. She couldn't help but thinking back on how she and one of the most popular guy in Gekkoukan High, Akihiko Sanada became lovers.

It was about a few months ago, when it all got started.

**A few months ago..**

**Gekkoukan High – After School**

"Finally! Another day of school went by!" Junpei cried out loud, causing several pairs of eyes to look at him. One of them was Yukari's.

"I hear you complain every single day. Aren't you getting tired of complaining at all?" Her eyebrows tied together into a knot.

"C'mon Yuka-tan! School is over now! Let's go get something to eat!" He sounded more cheerful when it came to food. His eyes then focused on to Hikaru. "You're coming too right?"

"As tempting as it sounds, Junpei, I think I'll have to pass." Hikaru gave a dry smile.

"You seem to be busy all the time, Hikaru-chan." Yukari tilted her head to the side, smiling.

"Nah.. It's just.. I'm not that hungry today. I'll see you two back at the dorm." Hikaru waved goodbye, packed her things and walked out the classroom before any of them could object.

Now that she was alone, the girl sighed to herself.

_It's all exciting and new about Personas, Shadows, Tartarus and stuffs, but somehow it's so tiring. I wonder if I could have 'some' normal life. Just a part of it.._

And before she could notice, she suddenly ran into someone, causing her stuffs to fall onto the floor near her feet.

"Ouch! Uh-I'm so sorry!" Hikaru said without looking up as she tried to gather her books in a hurry.

"Akane?" A deep, familiar voice made her froze. Hikaru slowly looked up, only to see a tall figure with beautiful silver hair and stunning grey eyes standing in front of her.

"Ah..! S-Sanada-senpai!" For some reason, Hikaru felt like her face was heating up just by looking into those eyes.

"Hey, Akane. We don't run into each other much do we?" Akihiko said with a gentle smile. "But I guess it would be better if we just normally run into each other, not like this huh?" He laughed awkwardly, handing back her books and notes.

"T-Thank you very much! Senpai!"

"So, are you heading back to the dorm?" He asked, his eyes studying her face. Hikaru only nodded in silence, still trying to catch her thoughts. "Mind if I come along too? I'm about to go back myself anyway."

Again, Hikaru could only nodded as an answer since her mind was still trying to register what happened to her in the last 5 minutes. Of course she was going back home, but how come she ended up walking home 'together' with Sanada-senpai? That, she didn't actually know.

_Now that I think of it, I totally forgot how handsome he is! No wonder he's one of the most popular guys in Gekkoukan High. _Hikaru thought to herself, taking a quick glance at Akihiko. _He really IS charming.._

Silence fell between them as Hikaru was deep in her thoughts and this silence made Akihiko felt quite uncomfortable. He's not a talkative person, but he couldn't stand the awkward silence either.

"Um-"

"S-Senpai. Oh-" They both stopped, realizing that the other party was about to strike up a conversation as well.

"Ah.. It's okay. You go, Akane." Akihiko said while scratching his head awkwardly, his face was a little red.

"Oh.. Um.. It's nothing. It's just that I was wondering.." Hikaru paused, feeling her own face heating up. "H-How come you're going back home early today? I thought you're always busy with your training."

"Ah, that." He stopped for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck. "Actually, I'm usually free on Monday and Friday. Kind of like my days off, I guess." He chuckled softly.

"Hmm.. That's a new piece of information about you, senpai. I never knew you had days off too." She giggled.

"So I seem 'that' busy, do I?" Akihiko turned his head to look at Hikaru, a relax smile stretched across his face.

"Well-"

"Oh! It's Sanada-san!" Hikaru got cutoff by the high pitched voice calling from afar, followed by a group of female students rushing toward them. "I'm so lucky to see you here Sanada-san! Are you going home already?" The same girl asked, ignoring Hikaru.

"Yes."

"Why are you walking home with her? Doesn't she have a boyfriend? An underclassman at your dorm?" One of Akihiko's fan girls said while making a face at Hikaru.

"A boyfriend?" Akihiko repeated, eyes focused on the girls.

"Yeah.. I believe his name is Junpei Iori." She stressed on Junpei's name on purpose, but Hikaru just stood there silently, knowing it would be best to keep quiet. Akihiko took a quick glance at her before speaking.

"As you can see, I'm with Hikaru right now, so if you have anything to talk to me, maybe some other time." He said in a stern voice, grabbed Hikaru's wrist and walked out of there without giving them a chance to respond.

"Aww! Sanada-san!"

The voices of the fan girls started to fade away as they get further and further from the school. Akihiko didn't say a word, his hand still holding on to Hikaru's wrist.

"U-uh.. Senpai.." Her voice caused Akihiko to pause, letting go of her wrist.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" He asked in a serious voice and she could sense worry in the tone.

"N-no.. It's nothing." She said softly, looking down to the ground. "I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble, senpai."

"It's not your fault." Akihiko answered quickly, looking at her with guilt. "It's my fault, actually, for dragging you into that."

"W-why are you the one apologizing to me?" Hikaru started to panic. "You're so nice to me, senpai. I just.."

"You're important to me.." He said in a deep voice, causing Hikaru to blushed deep red, her eyes widen in shock. Then after Akihiko realized what he just said, his face went completely red as well. "Oh! Um.. I-I didn't mean it that way! You're-um-an important leader..! To me and everybody as well! It's not that—"

Hikaru couldn't help but laughed, her laughing caused Akihiko relax a bit. He breathed in deeply, trying to catch his thoughts.

"Thank you, senpai!" Hikaru smiled innocently, making Akihiko's heart skipped a beat without realizing it.

"Y-You're welcome." His face was still a little red, not from before, but somehow, from seeing her smile. "Let's head back now." He tried to keep his voice steady.

"Yup."

**1F Dorm Lounge - Evening**

"Oh, welcome back." It was Fuuka who greeted them warmly. She couldn't help but looked quite surprised to see Hikaru and Akihiko entered the dorm together. "What about Yukari-chan and Junpei-kun?"

"I think they stopped somewhere to get something to eat. I'm not that hungry so I passed." Hikaru smiled friendly then looked at Akihiko. "Thank you for today, senpai."

"Ah.. It's no big deal." He smiled back. Hikaru bowed slightly to show her appreciation before walking up to her room. Akihiko's eyes followed her until she was out of his sight then sighed quietly to himself. Fuuka, who saw everything since the beginning, decided to keep quiet and went back to her homework.

**Hikaru's room – Late Evening**

"Ahh! Finally done!" Hikaru stretched herself in the chair, finally finished with her homework. Her eyes glanced at the clock on the desk; it said 9:37 PM. She yawned.

_-sighs- I think I should sleep early tonight. Maybe some warm milk.. Hmm.. _She thought to herself as she got up to her feet, still yawning.

**1F Dorm Lounge**

Hikaru walked down two flights of stairs. The lounge was quiet; no one was there except Koromaru who was sleeping near the sofa. Then her eyes caught a sight of a dark figure standing in the corner of the dining room.

"Aragaki-senpai?" She called out, walking up to Shinjiro. He turned around at the sound of her voice. "W-What are you doing here in the corner, alone?"

"Nothing." He answered bluntly, his face didn't change one bit.

_He's a member of SEES, but I hardly know him at all. Maybe I need to get to know him a little more, somehow.._

"What do you want?" Shinjiro asked abruptly, his eyes still staring at her, making it harder for Hikaru to get her mind straight without panicking.

"N-nothing.. really.. I'm just.. wondering if you want to go out and grab a bite to eat?" Hikaru said nervously, but actually she was quite hungry too since she has nothing for dinner.

The question caused Shinjiro to paused, arching up an eyebrow.

"What? With me?" He repeated, unsure.

"Y-Yeah.." Hikaru pressed her lips together into a line, expecting a 'no' as an answer.

"You're a weird one." He muttered under his breath before walking to the door. While Hikaru just stood there, unable to respond. "Come on. What are you doing? Aren't you the one who want to eat at the first place?"

"Y-Yes! Sorry.." She answered quickly, ran to the door to catch up with him, her mind still trying to register what happen.

"I gotta tell you, I don't know a fancy place to eat."

**Ramen shop 'Hagakure'**

"Sorry to take you here. As I say, I don't know that many places." Shinjiro said plainly, sitting down at the counter.

"I like it here." Hikaru replied, causing Shinjiro to look back at her. A faint smile appeared on his face.

"You are indeed a weird one." He chuckled softly before turning his attention to the ramen menu. While Hikaru was quite surprise, of how good he look when he's smiling.

_I had no idea, that Aragaki-senpai could be quite.. charming..when he smiles.._

"Ow.." Shinjiro winced, setting down his spoon as his other hand covered his mouth.

"What's wrong?" Hikaru asked curiously, worrying.

"It's nothing. I forgot I had a cut in my mouth. Aki punched me." He said, rubbing a side of his cheek. "Sheesh, that guy gotta learn how frickin' heavy a boxing champ punches…"

"Were you guys fighting?"

"Yeah. Sort of. I gave him a 'lecture' on how reckless his fighting style is and this is what I got in return." He laughed a little. "It's normal. We fight all the time, just get used to it."

"Does it hurt much?" Hikaru asked in worry voice, her hand reached out and gently touch Shinjiro's right cheek.

"Uh.. I-It's nothing!" He flinched; his face went red for some reason.

"Oh.. Sorry, did I hurt you?" She asked softly, her eyes full with concern.

"No. Never mind. I'll just wait for the soup to cool down." Shinjiro said, swiftly turned his head to the side, not facing her. However, Hikaru could see a faint red painted over his face.

"Please try not to fight again."

"Yeah yeah. Whatever." He replied, still not looking at her. Hikaru just smiled to herself before went back to eating her ramen quietly.

They ate their food without saying a word. But from time to time, Shinjiro would took a quick glance at Hikaru, and continue eating his ramen in silence. Not knowing that he was wearing a faint smile every time he did it.


	2. Chapter 2 Kindness

**Author's Note: **Firstly, I need to thank you for reading this story and continue to read Chapter 2 XD  
Also thank you so much for the reviews, I was surprised of how quick I could finish this chapter. Lols. All thanks to you guys and reviews ^^  
I have to say, this chapter kind of devoted to Shinjiro, Lols. I'm sure all you Shinjiro fans would be pleased. But don't be jealous Akihiko fans! 'Cus next chapter would be Akihiko's! (I'm trying to balance it out XD)  
So yeah, as I said in previous chapter, I'm still deciding whether it should be Hikaru/Akihiko or Hikaru/Shinjiro. I'll try to keep it balance for now.  
For Shinjiro fans, I'd say I hope you enjoy this chapter :3  
For Akihiko fans, please bear with me and wait until next chapter! I promise Akihiko would have more actions! X3  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story and please review so I could improve! ^^  
P.S. Pardon me if my grammar and spellings are not good. English is not my native language. I'm still learning! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

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**Chapter 2 Kindness**

**1F Dorm Lounge – Daytime**

Hikaru woke up quite early to finish her homework. When she walked downstairs, there were only few people in the lounge, including Akihiko, who turned around at the sound of her footsteps.

"Good morning, Akane. Going out today?" He asked in a stern voice.

"Yes. Just stuff I need to take care of. What about you, senpai?" She said, gathering something in the kitchen.

"I think I'll stay in today. I still need to catch up on my studies and continue with my training in the afternoon." Akihiko replied, referring to the pile of books and his boxing gloves on the dining table.

"Okay." She smiled back, opening the front door. "I'm off!"

**Iwatodai Station Outskirts**

Hikaru walked from the dorm to Iwatodai Station in less than fifteen minutes. She took a sharp left turn into the station outskirts. It was quiet, as usual. Her ruby eyes took a quick glance around the area, a gentle smile then stretched across her face when she saw a cat walking up to her.

"Hey.." She greeted softly, scratching the back of its ear. The cat purred in satisfaction, facing upward, eyes closed. "I brought you something today too. Here." She said while going through her bag, finally pulled out a colorful package labeled 'Super Cat food'.

The cat made a meowing sound, big round eyes staring at her. Hikaru gave a warm smile, tearing the package and put it down. She slowly rose up to her feet, eyes watching the cat devouring the food happily.

Her eyes then catch a sight of a tall, familiar figure standing in the corner not far from her, looking so deep in thoughts that he didn't notice her presence at all.

"Aragaki-senpai?" The voice caused the owner of the name to lift his head up, puzzled at the sight.

"What the hell are you doing here?" That was the first thing Shinjiro could come up with at this point. His brown eyes were staring at Hikaru intently.

"I should be the one saying that, senpai." Hikaru looked as surprised as he was. "And there I was wondering where you are all morning and afternoon, now I know you're hanging around _here_." She teased, knowing that it would irritate Shinjiro at a certain degree.

As she thought, no respond from Shinjiro, only an intense stare, as if he was trying to get her to answer his question.

"This isn't a place for someone like you to be around." Shinjiro finally spoke, still not taking his eyes off her.

"Right back at you on that one." She replied quickly, eyes studying his face.

"Hmph, you surely know nothing about me." He answered bluntly; the expression on his face was unreadable.

"How can I know _anything _about you when you keep _everything _to yourself?" She countered, had no intention of backing down in this situation. "Oh, and to answer your earlier question, I came here to feed the cat."

Her words caused Shinjiro to look at the cat, which was now full and rolling on the ground, making happy sounds.

"Kind.. It's just your nature, isn't it.." Shinjiro murmured under his breath, making it almost inaudible.

"Did you say something?" Hikaru curiously asked.

"Nothing." He replied abruptly, his eyes gazed up to meet hers. "You should go back. It's not safe here."

"So why are you hanging around here then?" She replied back, looking curious as usual.

"Why are you so interested in me? You should have more important stuff to focus on." Shinjiro avoided the question, throwing one back at her instead. Hikaru made a face.

"Why, you ask? You're a member of SEES. I'm a leader. Isn't it my duty to make sure every member of the team is safe and sound? And I mean _every _member." She stressed on the word 'every' on purpose, her red eyes staring at him, showing that she's serious.

"Tch. Fine. What do you want?" He sighed in defeat, looking annoyed while Hikaru flashed a smirk, only for a moment.

"Lunch?"

**Iwatodai Strip Mall 'Wakatsu' Restaurant**

"How come I have to have lunch with you?" Shinjiro muttered, looking slightly annoyed.

"I already gave you the reason, so I won't repeat it." Hikaru answered, sitting down at a table, causing Shinjiro to sigh in defeat, sitting down as well.

"You eat here often?" He asked, trying to change the subject while looking around as if observing the surroundings.

"From time to time." Hikaru replied, still focused on the menu, not meeting his gaze. She ordered a lunch set, passing the menu back to the waitress, only to see that Shinjiro already finish ordering and sat there silently, making an 'I wish I'm dead' face. "Come on now, senpai. Having lunch with me won't kill you. Just one day off your regular routine."

"That's none of my concern." He said in his usual tone, blunt, straightforward.

"What's with that attitude then? Hanging out with teammates is good. Or a leader, in your case." She teased.

"Heh." Shinjiro chuckled softly, eyes studying Hikaru's face. "Fortunately you're a reliable leader, so I won't argue with you on that one." A smile crept up his face. "Aki and Kirijo seem to be fighting better than what I last seen them too. Your power helps them adapt to your fighting style and command." He paused. "Your power is great."

"I hope so.." She pondered, causing Shinjiro to smile slightly.

"Have some confidence, you're doing well." He said with a gentle smile. Hikaru then felt her face heating up for some reason, her red eyes avoiding his gaze.

"Thank you, senpai." She said softly, still not looking up.

"Oh, and another thing." He paused, waited until she looked up at him. "Drop that senpai bullshit. Better yet, the formality too."

"Huh?" Hikaru arched up an eyebrow, surprise painted across her face.

"I haven't been at school for too long that I lost count. It's annoying to hear people calling me 'senpai' all the time. It's bad enough to hear it from Yamagishi, Takeba and Iori. I don't need to hear it from you too." He said in a deep, kind of irritated voice.

"Then what should I call you?" She asked out of curiosity.

"Shinjiro" He replied immediately.

"No way!" She blurted out, and then realized the volume of her own voice. "It's too weird.. Calling you by your first name.." She trailed off, thinking about how close people should get before using the first name basis, and snapped back to reality when her eyes accidently met his.

"Like I care. I'm not going to school, so I'm not your senpai." He argued, it's his turn not to back down in this situation.

"You're still older than me and you're friend with Sanada-senpai. Which make you my senpai either way." She countered, not that she would hate to call his name, it's just weird.

"You're one stubborn brat." Shinjiro let out a low sigh, but he was smirking for some reason. "Fine fine. Do what you want. You're the leader."

"Don't tease me!" Hikaru pouted, sticking her tongue out at him. Shinjiro only looked away, acting as if he was ignoring her, but wearing a faint smile on his lips.

**Iwatodai Dorm – Evening**

"I'm back." The familiar voice caused Akihiko turned his head toward the door, a smile stretched across his face at the sound of her voice.

"Welcome back. Where—" Akihiko suddenly stopped when he caught a sight of two figures entering the door at the same time. One of his eyebrows rose up. "Shinji?"

"Good evening, Sanada-senpai." Hikaru greeted happily while taking off her shoes. Shinjiro made no respond. "Where's everyone?" She gazed around the lounge, surprised to see only Akihiko and Koromaru presented.

"Yamagishi and Takeba are upstairs, doing their homework. Mitsuru said she's going to be late tonight. And I believe Iori is helping Amada with his research." Akihiko answered, though his eyes not a second off the two of them.

Hikaru nodded in acknowledgement then noticed the curiosity in those grey eyes. She took a quick glance toward Shinjiro.

"Oh.. I ran into Aragaki-senpai earlier, so we had lunch." She said, answering the unspoken question in those eyes.

"More like you dragged me there." Shinjiro corrected, walking pass the hallway to sit on the couch.

"I'm not going to start on that again." Hikaru glared at Shinjiro, who made a chuckle sound in his throat.

"Like hell I ask you to." He countered immediately, ignoring her, only to make Hikaru glowered at him, irritated.

"You're-! Arghh—!" She groaned out of frustration, her eyes glowered as if she was ready to eat him alive at any second, if she could that is. While Shinjiro, who was totally aware of her reaction, pretended to gaze into the distance, amused.

"Sounds like you guys had fun." Akihiko commented, amazed by the atmosphere around the two of them. They seemed close, and that made him feel a little uneasy inside.

Hikaru made a face at Akihiko's words. She looked at Shinjiro from the corner of her eye then stumped her way up the stairs, saying nothing more. While Shinjiro only glanced in silence as she disappeared to the second floor, a smirk painted across his face. He chuckled, muttering softly.

"Brat."

Shinjiro gave a long sigh before turning his head, only to see a pair of eyes looking in his direction. He arched up an eyebrow.

"You look like you have something to say." He stated, meeting his friend's gaze. "What is it, Aki?"

"You two.." Akihiko paused, trying to arrange the words in his head in order not to sound weird, but no luck. "Um.. Nothing. Never mind." He sighed, looking puzzled.

Shinjiro's eyebrows turned into a knot, his brown eyes studying his friend's face.

"If you have something on your mind, just spit it out already." He sounded slightly annoyed, crossing his arm, still staring at Akihiko.

But before Akihiko could respond, Hikaru suddenly made her way down the stairs again, her eyes intently avoiding Shinjiro.

"I'm going to take Koro-chan for a walk." Hikaru stated and as soon as she said 'walk', Koromaru suddenly ran up to her, wagging his tail happily. "Hey, good boy." She greeted him warmly, scratching the back of his ear before walking to the front door.

"Akane." The voice made her froze, looking back with wonder. It was Akihiko. "Would you mind if I come along? I could use some fresh air."

"Sure, Sanada-senpai." She replied with a gentle smile before going out the front door. Akihiko paused for a moment, looking back at Shinjiro.

"I'll get back to you later, Shinji." And that was his last sentence before Akihiko disappeared into the darkness of the street, closing the door behind him. This resulted in Shinjiro sighing deeply, eyebrow scrunched together.

"What's with him..?" Shinjiro muttered to himself, but he couldn't focus on that too long before his mind wandered into another subject. He couldn't help but think back on the irritating reaction from Hikaru, when she made a face at him, as angrily as she might be; it still brought a smile to his face. He leaned back on the couch, wearing a gentle smile.

**Naganaki Shrine**

Hikaru and Akihiko walked up the stairs into the shrine. The minute they set feet on the shrine area, Koromaru ran off, wriggled his nose and sniffed around the area, leaving the two people alone in silence.

"The weather is so nice." Hikaru started a conversation, closing her eyes while breathing in deep, full of refreshing air.

Akihiko said nothing to that; he just gazed at her peaceful face, feeling quite funny inside with no reason. He thought back to the time when he saw Hikaru entered the dorm with Shinjiro, he felt a sudden pain in his chest. He felt hollowed, like something inside him was missing, it was the weirdest thing. Not once he ever felt this way before, and it was his best friend she was with, not any stranger for that matter. Not to mention the feelings he got when two of them arguing, it wasn't worry, he knew it was nothing serious. Shinjiro was teasing her, but they seem so close, like he couldn't come between them.

"Sanada-senpai, are you alright?" Her voice pulled Akihiko back to reality. He blinked rapidly, trying to get his mind straight.

"Ah, yes. I'm okay." He forced a smile, still not ready to face her yet so he avoided her eyes. Suddenly, an old question popped up in his head, a question he was about to ask Shinjiro if Hikaru didn't come down. He thought over it several times, his eyes then glanced at Hikaru.

The girl caught that sight and smiled warmly at him, causing his heart to skip a beat. Since when her smile had this much effect on him, he wondered.

"You and Shinji.." Akihiko trailed off.

"Hmm? What about me and Aragaki-senpai?" Hikaru asked innocently. While Akihiko, who just realized he said his thought out loud blushed deep red, unable to respond.

"Oh..! U-Um.." He started to panic as Hikaru just stared at him, eyes full of wonder, looking as innocent as a puppy. _Great, those eyes just took the words right off my mouth._ He thought to himself, still blushing. "I-I was just.. wondering.. W-When did you and Shinji become so…close?" And right after he said it, he just wanted to bit his own tongue for saying something like that.

"Hmm.. It depends on how you define the word 'close'." Hikaru didn't notice any meaning behind the question; instead, she took it so serious and pondered. "It's just… I don't know. From what I see, he always creates some kind of wall."

"A wall?" Akihiko repeated, raising his eyebrows.

"A wall to seals himself within and to blocks other people from getting too close to him." She explained, looking deep in thoughts. "Somehow, I feel an urge to destroy that wall." She giggled then her face was suddenly serious. "He's kind. I know it, and I know I'm right. He can act all cold and heartless, but I know that deep inside, he's a kind person. I don't know the reason, but he seems like he doesn't want to get too close to anyone, even if he wanted to."

Akihiko could only stare at Hikaru, speechless. He knew that Hikaru's ability of reading people is great. She was sharp. However, he didn't expect her to see through Shinjiro in an instant, when he himself still understood very little about his friend.

One side, Akihiko was happy, that someone finally understands Shinjiro, so that someone could help Shinjiro bear his burden, even for a little. But on the other hand, it pained him to see how much Hikaru cared for Shinjiro. He knew it's wrong to think this way, but that's what was on his mind right now. He felt guilty, for even allowed this thought to cross his mind, but he was jealous. He wished it was him, who she cared so deeply, who she could talk about so passionately.

He wished it was him, who Hikaru would think about, all the time.

"Sanada-senpai?" Hikaru said softly, her face full of concern since Akihiko was quiet for a long time. He turned to face her, his grey eyes looked deep into those ruby eyes of her, showing a part of his hidden feelings without a word. He then realized this and looked away.

"*Bark* *Bark*" Before either of them could say anything, Koromaru, who was done playing suddenly ran back to them, still wagging his tail happily.

"Hey boy. So, are you done playing?" Akihiko said to the dog, receiving a nod as an answer, he then turned to Hikaru. "Let's go back to the dorm then, it's getting late."

"Yes!" Hikaru replied cheerfully. She was totally unaware of the atmosphere and the hidden feelings of her teammate. "Come on Koro-chan! Let's race!" She said before running down the stairs, causing Koromaru to follow her quickly. While Akihiko just smile to himself, eyes following the brunette girl.

_Hikaru.._


	3. Chapter 3 Sweets

**Author's Note: **First, I have to say thank you again for reading onto Chapter 3! And thank you everyone for the reviews! I'm very happy to see that people like my story.  
To brief you on this chapter, it's mostly for Akihiko's fans! Not that Shinjiro's fans can't read it, but yeah…Akihiko gets a lot of actions in this chapter.  
I just got back from a trip. I'm very tired right now so I'll keep it short. I hope you guys like this chapter and like this story!  
Of course, I promise that next chapter, Shinji would get some love too! Lols.  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

* * *

**Chapter 3 Sweets**

**Gekkoukan Highf**

**2F Classroom Hallway – Lunchtime**

"I can't believe that Junpei!" Yukari complained to Hikaru as they were on their way back to the classroom. Hikaru could sense the annoyance in the tone.

"What did he do now?" She asked curiously.

"Well, Fuuka and I trusted him to help Amada-kun with his research." Yukari began while Hikaru was thinking back on this piece of information she got last night, recalling that she heard Akihiko mentioned it before.

"Yeah? And?"

"He kept giving Amada-kun inappropriate suggestions!" She blurted out, looking annoyed. "Amada-kun is still a kid, and that Stupei is putting weird ideas in his head."

"Hmm.." Hikaru let out a soft sigh, giggling. "Well, Amada-kun is more mature than he looks. I'm sure those ideas won't get to him. Or at least he won't take it seriously. It's from Junpei, anyway."

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Yukari seemed to have calm down a little. "I think he's even more mature than Junpei."

"I'm agreeing with you on that one." She laughed, causing Yukari to smiled big and giggled back.

"Akane." The deep, familiar voice from behind caused the two girls to turn their heads then arched up their eyebrows when they saw Akihiko standing there, looking uneasy for some reason.

"Yes, senpai, you need me for something?" Hikaru asked while Yukari eyes focused on Akihiko, observing his every move.

"Oh.. Not right now.. Um.. Are you free after school?" Akihiko finally spoke, feeling more uncomfortable as he noticed Yukari's eyes watching him intently.

"I think so." She replied after thinking for a second.

"D-Do you want to hang out? It's my day off today." He forced a smile, trying not to meet Yukari's gaze.

"Sure." Hikaru answered, remembering that he once said he's free on Monday and Friday. The bell then rang, telling them that lunch break was over. "Shoot! I gotta run. I'll see you after school then, senpai! Let's go Yukari!" And without giving him a chance to respond, she was off, running toward her classroom with Yukari, who flashed him a meaningful smirk before following Hikaru.

"Since when did you and Sanada-senpai become so close?" Yukari asked when they were alone, heading to the classroom. Hikaru rolled her eyes.

"Why did everybody has to ask me that when I talk to someone just a _little _more than usual?" She complained as Yukari smiled at her teasingly.

"Hmm? Who asked you before? And about Sanada-senpai too?" She urged, anxious to know more.

"Argh! No! Never mind!" Hikaru shook her head like mad, not looking at her friend in the eyes. But of course, Yukari would never let her off that easily.

"Aww! Come on! I'm your best friend, you have to tell me!" She pleaded, eyes sparkling like a puppy.

"Yes, you are my best friend. But being a best friend and having to know everything about a person is totally different matter." She shot a glance at Yukari.

"At least answer my question!" She demanded.

"Fine." Hikaru sighed in defeat, knowing that Yukari would not stop bugging her until she gets something. She turned to Yukari with a completely still face. "We walked home together once, the day Junpei dragged you with him. We ran into his fans then he helped me get back to the dorm safely. That's all."

"Helped you…? As in…" Yukari intently paused, but Hikaru cut her off.

"As in 'not letting me got eaten by his fans' help." She concluded. "Can we drop this now?"

"For now." She remarked, smiling mischievously at her friend, who exhaled loudly, rolling her eyes.

**Classroom 2-F – After School**

As soon as the bell rang, Yukari darted to Hikaru's desk in an instant, wearing a teasing smile.

"What?" Hikaru asked, looking suspiciously at her best friend.

"Are you going to see Sanada-senpai now?" Yukari asked back, still smiling, a smile that sent shivers down Hikaru's spine for unknown reason.

"Shush!" exclaimed Hikaru in faint voice, eyes swept over the classroom. "Keep your voice down! If any of his fan girls hear that, they'll tear me apart!"

"Like you have to worry about that." Yukari said immediately, unfazed by her friend's words. "You're way more charming than those girls. They can't even compare to you. And I'm not saying this just because I'm your friend. It's the truth."

Hikaru's face reddened upon hearing her friend said that, and with a serious face, telling her that she's not joking.

"That's not the point! What does my look have to do with this situation?" Hikaru countered, face still red.

"I'm just saying." Yukari said in plain voice, careless. "Just let them be. Don't worry about it. Now go and have fun. You shouldn't keep him waiting long!" She concluded the conversation before pushing Hikaru's back to get her moving.

"Heh. Thanks Yukari." Now that she had this conversation with her friend, as weird as it might be, she could calm herself down a bit. And she would stay calm if it wasn't for the last sentence Yukari whispered to her ear.

"But I think your Sanada-senpai won't let anyone harm you." And with those final words, she pushed Hikaru out of the classroom, sliding the door shut to prevent any counter attack she might receive.

Hikaru made her way down the stairs, scratching her head and let out a long sigh.

"That Yukari.." She mumbled, sighing deeply again. Yukari could be a pain sometimes, but Hikaru was glad to have her as a best friend, for that she could share anything with her. And that Yukari could make a serious and stressful situation much more relaxing for her, for most cases, that is.

"What about Takeba?"

"Wah!" Hikaru cried out in surprise before backing down and gasped for air, her hand at her chest, while Akihiko eyes flied open, looking as surprise as her. "Y-You scared me, senpai!"

"I have to say, your voice did startle me a little too." Akihiko said softly, chuckling to himself.

"I-I'm sorry, senpai. I was spacing out, so I didn't see you." She bowed in apology, still trying to catch her breath. _Damn that Yukari. I'm going to get back at her at the dorm._

"So, are you ready to go?" Akihiko asked, a gentle smile painted across his face.

"Ah, sure sure. Let me catch my breath first?" She said, holding up her index finger as if to tell him to give her a minute to recover from her fright. Hikaru took a deep breath, until her face was back to normal.

Akihiko chuckled softly.

"You and I never run into each other in a normal way, huh?" He teased, still smiling. "Where do you want to eat? I'll let you decide today."

Hikaru paused for a moment before looking up, smiling.

**Iwatodai Strip Mall - Sweet Shop**

"Hmm, so girls really _do _like sweet things." Akihiko commented, looking around nervously.

"No surprise there, isn't it?" Hikaru smiled innocently. She decided to order a cake, while Akihiko insisted to only watch. "You really aren't going to eat?"

"To be honest, I don't really like sweet things." Akihiko confessed. "Don't get me wrong, I don't mind having them once in a while. So I don't mind you taking me here."

"Aw.. But even so, you should've told me earlier, senpai." Hikaru looked a bit guilty. "I don't really need to have sweets. I could have taken you somewhere else."

"See, now that I told you. You get all depressed." He gave a gentle smile. "As I said before, I don't mind." _As long as I'm with you._ Of course, the last sentence he could only mentally say it, not voicing out loud.

The gentle smile from Akihiko made Hikaru relaxed a bit.

"But that's new. I never knew you hate sweets." She smiled slightly.

"It's not that I hate sweets in particular." Akihiko added, thinking for a bit. "It's just…some of them really are too sweet. Like I pour a lump of sugar into my mouth." He paused for a moment. "Takeba usually shoves some candies at me as well. She said she'd be in a big trouble if she had anymore." The last sentence made Hikaru giggled.

"That's normal for a girl, senpai." She explained, tilting her head a little. "I don't like things that are too sweet either. But I haven't had sweets in a while, so I couldn't help but craving for a piece of cake." She grinned shyly as the waitress brought her order to the table.

Silence fell between them as Hikaru started to eat her cake. Though it was not that uncomfortable for Akihiko since he enjoyed watching Hikaru ate happily.

"You make it look so delicious." Akihiko couldn't help, but commented as he smiled at her teasingly.

"It is delicious, senpai!" She assured him. While Akihiko noticed that she had some cream near the corner of her mouth.

"You got a little…" He trailed off, reaching out his arm. He used his thumb to wipe the cream off her face and brought it to his mouth, licking it off. "Hmm… Not so bad.."

"Ah…" was all Hikaru managed to get out. She froze, unable to respond or give any other reaction whatsoever. Her face suddenly turned bright red, her eyes casted down, embarrassed.

While Akihiko, on the other hand, who was totally aware of his own embarrassing action, also blushed deep red. However, he was enjoying the reaction he got from the girl sitting in front of him. Her blushing face and shy expression was priceless. _How can a person be so cute? _Akihiko thought to himself, wearing a gentle smile.

"Akane." He finally broke the silence, in an effort to ease the embarrassment, both for him and Hikaru. The girl's face was still red, but she slowly lifting her head up to look at him. "Can I ask you something?"

"O-Of course, senpai." Hikaru managed to force out an answer, her face as red as her eyes right now.

"It's okay if you don't want to answer.. It's just…" Akihiko stopped briefly. "Is it true…that you're with Junpei?"

The question that came out of nowhere caused Hikaru to halt, trying to get her mind straight. _What make Sanada-senpai ask me that? _She wondered, but answered it anyway.

"Uh.. No?" She tilted her head to the side, puzzled. "We're good friends. What gave you the thought?"

"It's a rumor." He stated. "The girls in my class were talking about it. Usually, I don't really pay attention to these kinds of things, but it involves you, so…" He trailed off, pressing his lips together.

"Don't misunderstand, senpai." Hikaru giggled at the new side of him that she never seen before. "It's rare for you to believe in these rumors, though" She teased, completely forgot about the awkward atmosphere earlier.

"Hahah. I guess you're right." Akihiko chuckled shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked kind of relieve, somehow.

"You're so cute, Sanada-senpai." Hikaru giggled, teasingly smiled at Akihiko, who suddenly froze, faint pink spread across his face.

"Ah, about that…" The words made Hikaru's eyes stared at him, curiously. "I mean… The way you called me."

"What about it?" She arched up an eyebrow, looking confused.

"You don't have to be so formal around me." Akihiko finally said, slightly blushed. "And you don't have to call me by my last name all the time." He added.

"Then what should I call you?" Hikaru unsurely asked. Somehow she found this situation very familiar, it's similar to the one she had with Shinjiro yesterday.

"Akihiko is fine."

"Not you too!" She exclaimed, letting out a sigh in disbelief. "What's with people these days? What's wrong with showing respect by referring to others by their last names? I don't get it."

"Too?" Akihiko repeated, puzzled by her sudden reactions and words. "Someone asked you to call them by their first names?"

"It was Aragaki-senpai." She replied, massaging her temple.

"Shinji?" The expression on his face suddenly changed, his eyes widened as he felt a sudden, sharp pain inside.

"Yesterday, I had an argument with him on this certain topic. He said he's sick of people calling him 'Senpai' all the time." She explained. "He asked me to call his name, but I refused, making excuses to convince him, of course." She paused for a moment. "But I didn't expect you to ask me that too, senpai."

"I…" was all Akihiko could get out. He bit his lower lip, trying to restrain his feelings. He sat in silence for a second before lifting his head up and smiled sadly at Hikaru. "Never mind then. Please forget I said anything."

His expression caused Hikaru to freeze; it pained her to see him like this. She didn't know why, but she felt a sharp pain in her heart. His smile was so sad, no different from a lonely boy. It made her want to hold him, to make all his loneliness and sadness go away.

Hikaru pressed her lips together, took a deep breath and stretched out her arm to touch Akihiko's hand gently, causing him to look at her.

"I… Um.. I don't know how to say this, but…" She paused, her face reddened. "It's still…embarrassing and weird…for me.. but if only when I'm with you…" She struggled for words, still blushing deep red. "I-I will…try to call you, A-Aki-hiko-senpai."

Even though Hikaru added 'senpai' in the end, Akihiko could still feel the warmth rising in his heart, the warmth he received from her words, knowing that Hikaru tried so hard for him. Judging from her expression, her blushing, even her hand was still shaking slightly, she must be embarrassed as hell right now. But she said all those things for him, doing these, for him alone.

_This person… is so adorable… _Akihiko suddenly took a hold of her hand; he smiled warmly as he brought it up to his face, kissing it gently, eyes closed.

"A-A-Akihiko-senpai!" Hikaru stuttered, blushing like mad.

"It's fine if you don't call me that in front of people." Akihiko stated while slowing opened his eyes to look at Hikaru, still holding her hand at his face. "Call my name, only when you're with me." He said in a deep, low tone voice, looking deep into her ruby-like eyes.

"Y-Yeah. Understood." Hikaru forced the words out of her mouth, her eyes casted down at the ground, unable to meet Akihiko's gaze. "W-We should go back! It's getting late!" For some reason, her voice was in a high-pitched, almost a squeal.

Akihiko smiled warmly at her reaction, still not letting go of her hand.

"Yeah. Let's go."

**In front of Iwatodai Dorm – Evening**

"Um.. Senpai…would you mind letting go of my hand? We-um.. We're at the dorm already." Hikaru, who finally gathered enough courage to say this said in very low voice, referring to her hand that was still in Akihiko's grasp.

As weird as it seemed, Akihiko happened to be in an unnatural good mood, opposite to this time yesterday. He flashed a gentle smile at Hikaru, but obediently letting go of her hand.

**1F Dorm Lounge**

The two of them entered the dorm together. The lounge was quite crowded tonight, with Yukari, Fuuka and Junpei in the living room, Mitsuru busying with her own research and Shinjiro playing with Koromaru near the kitchen.

"S'up guys! Welcome back!" It was Junpei who greeted them cheerfully, before arching up an eyebrow. "It's rare to see you two come back together." He remarked.

"I guess it won't be so rare anymore." Yukari muttered under her breath, but Hikaru caught every word of that clearly. She glared at Yukari, as if she was going to pierce her.

"Huh? Did I miss something?" Junpei looked slightly confused as Yukari smiled teasingly at Hikaru, saying nothing.

"It's nothing, Iori. I took Akane to the sweet shop and she managed to force some sweet cream down my throat." Akihiko took the opportunity to answer in a calm voice, glancing at Hikaru.

"I didn't-!" Hikaru suddenly stopped when the images of Akihiko 'having' the cream flooded into her mind, causing her face to slowly turning light red. While Akihiko, who was completely aware that Hikaru was surely remembering what he did with the cream, just stood there silently, amused by her reaction.

"I'll be back!" and with that, Hikaru ran off to her room, causing several pairs of eyes to follow her curiously, except Akihiko's.

"Is Hika-chan alright?" Junpei mumbled to himself, receiving a shrug from Yukari as an answer.

Akihiko decided to keep quiet. He walked to the living room area, dropped into the couch, wearing a faint smile on his lips.

_Maybe, having sweet things once in a while really is _**not** _a bad idea…_

* * *

Mysterious voice: Is it just me or Akihiko is more romantic than his normal self in Persona 3 Portable (P3P)?  
Me: Oh well... *shrugs* And to answer your inner question, no no, they're not lovers, yet. Hey! I already told you I haven't decide "yet"! I love both Aki and Shinji!  
Mysterious voice: Both?  
Me: Yes. And you'll know immediately when I decided! *runs off*


	4. Chapter 4 Hidden feelings

**Author's Note: **And of course! Thank you for continue reading onto Chapter 4! And thank you for the wonderful reviews, I'm really happy! Glad you guys like this story!  
I have to say, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I did have quite a hard time making it…passionate… (Not that scene yet, but still…) I did my best, so I hope you guys will like it!  
Now that I get to this point, I don't know how I should maintain the balance between Shinji and Aki. I'm leaning toward Shinji now.. xD  
I still love Aki and I wish I could let him have more actions, but I keep thinking that it would look bad for Hikaru to fall for both guys at once. So if any of you have any suggestions, please feel free to tell me! It would help me A LOT!  
Just so you know, nope, I haven't decided yet. Just that this chapter belongs to Shinji doesn't mean I already chose Hikaru/Shinji. As I said, I love both of them x3 Aki would have his chapters later on as well.  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^  
P.S. I really hope you like this chapter. I was proving and reviewing this chapter soooo many times, just to make sure. Please let me know if you guys like it or not.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

* * *

**Chapter 4 Hidden feelings**

**3F, Hikaru's Room – Evening**

Hikaru ran into her room, shutting the door and turned around, her back leaning against the door. She let out a long sigh, face still light red.

"Argh!" She groaned out of frustration, sighing once more. It's bugging her that she couldn't argue or say anything back to Akihiko. His face then popped into her mind when her thoughts went back to this topic, his teasing smile and how he said something so embarrassing with a completely still face irritated her even more. Not that she's mad at him, more like she's mad at herself for being unable to respond or get back at him.

_No no! I shouldn't be thinking about him! I need to get my head straight… I need to do something! _Hikaru started to panic in her own head. Shaking her head madly, she then took a deep breath and left her room, heading downstairs while trying to catch her thoughts.

**1F Dorm Lounge**

The lounge still looked pretty much the same as when she left, everyone was there except Ken. Hikaru pressed her lips together when she caught a sight of Akihiko, who lifted his head to look at her; a faint smile appeared on his face. She immediately turned her head the second their eyes met.

Hikaru stumped her way to sit at the dining table, exhaling loudly, causing Shinjiro to turn to her, quirked up an eyebrow.

"Hmph." The sound made Hikaru glanced at Shinjiro, still frustrated.

"Something wrong, senpai?" She asked, even Shinjiro could sense the annoyance in the tone, which caused him to chuckle softly.

"N'thing. It's just rare to see you like this." He paused for a moment, looking for the right words. "Irritated." He finally added.

"Oh…" Hikaru made a high-pitched exclamation, arching up both of her eyebrows. "Well, for your information, senpai, I'm not a kind of person that would seem to be irritated all the time, like someone _I_ know." She stated, only to made Shinjiro chuckle more.

"Definitely rare." Shinjiro commented again, earning an intense glare from Hikaru as a respond.

"Senpai!"

"Fine fine." Shinjiro said in low voice, looking amused for some reason. "What happened?"

"I don't wanna talk about it." She responded immediately, still sighing to ease her irritation.

"That's fine with me." He claimed, eyes studying her face. "What do you want to do then?"

Hikaru fully turned to face Shinjiro, her face painted with curiosity.

"Did you hit your head or something, senpai?" She asked directly, confused by his unusual nice behavior toward her as her face said it all.

"You're nagging me all the time. It's my turn to bug you." was his reply, but it managed to bring a small grin to Hikaru's face, followed by a soft giggle.

"Heh. Okay, you win." She smiled in defeat. However, this time, she didn't mind losing an argument with him. "Though I gotta say, I really have no idea what to do for tonight. Maybe you could think of something?"

"Now you're dumping this on me?" He countered. Hikaru just gave him a goofy smile, her mood getting better. "Have you eaten?"

"I had a piece of cake, no dinner yet." She answered, trying not to think about a certain person. Shinjiro narrowed his eyes.

"How long since you last had a proper dinner?"

"Hmm… Now that I think about it… I usually skip dinner because of homework and training in Tartarus. I did have dinner with you the other day though." She said after thinking back seriously.

"Ramen isn't qualified as a proper dinner." Shinjiro stated strictly, eying at Hikaru. "And Tartarus is not an excuse for not having dinner either. Dark Hour starts at midnight, dinner time starts at six."

"Uh…" was all Hikaru managed to get out, there's no way she could argue with him on that. "You're surprisingly strict when it comes to food, Aragaki-senpai."

"Didn't I tell you to cut that formal bullshit?" He said immediately, his eyes still focused on her.

"I thought we had an agreement, I did beat you on that one." She countered, raising an eyebrow.

"Hell no." He replied as quickly as her, not backing down. "We had an _argument_. I was tired and annoyed so I let it go once. Not this time."

"Oh well… It's not that I'm formal with you all the time." She argued. "Now is one example, I'm totally _not_ formal."

"You're calling me by my last name, and with senpai at the end. How is that _not _formal?" Shinjiro purposely stressed on the same word as her, causing Hikaru to pouted.

"Hmph. So I don't get to win today, huh?" She muttered as a smirk crept up Shinjiro's face. "Okay then. I'll meet you half way, _Shinjiro-_senpai?" She said, throwing him a questioning look while Shinjiro just shrugged.

"Ain't good enough, but better." He finally spoke, smirking. "Now that you finally shut up, I'll cook you something."

"Huh?" Hikaru was surprised by his sudden change of subject.

"As I said, you have to have a proper dinner. What kind of leader are you if you can't even eat right?" Shinjiro said mockingly, causing Hikaru to make a face at him.

"Being a leader in battles has nothing to do with eating right!" She protested.

"Even if you faint from hunger?" The words made Hikaru freeze before sticking her tongue at him when she realized that she couldn't argue.

_Brat. _Shinjiro thought to himself, amused by Hikaru's reaction. Suddenly, a feeling he'd never felt before overwhelmed him, he felt an urge to pull her into his arm and seal her lips with his, capturing and devouring the taste of that tongue she stuck out at him until she was panting and gasping for air.

"Shinjiro-senpai?" Her voice snapped him back to reality. Realizing his own thoughts, Shinjiro suddenly went red, eyes widened. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Due to the embarrassment, his voice raised without him knowing it. He shook his head slightly, trying to clear his mind before taking in long deep breath to get his face straight.

"Okay, then… What are you going to make?" She asked curiously, seemed to be full of wonder.

"What do you want to eat?" He asked back, relieved that she changed the subject.

"I don't know. Anything is fine, really. I'm not so picky about food."

"Because you skip it most of the time." Shinjiro corrected and caught a sight of Hikaru's mouth muttering 'Only dinner.' silently. "I'll think of something. You just wait here."

"Aww… You're not going to let me help out?" The question got Shinjiro to arch an eyebrow. "What's with that face? I might not be a professional chef like you, but I can cook too."

Now that she said it, Shinjiro recalled that Fuuka once mentioned to him that Hikaru also joined the cooking club and that she did quite a great job too.

"Not today." He finally answered after thinking for a bit. "'Cus, you're in a bad mood. There's a knife in there, y'know?"

"Shinjiro-senpai!" Her voice only made Shinjiro chuckle in his throat, pleased.

"Just wait here. I won't be long." and with that, he took off, disappearing into the kitchen, leaving Hikaru glowering at him from behind.

Now that Hikaru had some time to herself, she let out a long sigh. A smile stretched across her face without her knowing it. She always had fun having an argument with Shinjiro; even she didn't know the real reason behind it. He's always grumpy, as if he's in a bad mood all the time, but when he talked to her, he's different. He was still cold, blunt and straightforward, but somehow she could sense worry and seriousness in his tones.

After pondering over the thought of Shinjiro for a while, Hikaru then realized something, causing her to quirk up both of her eyebrows, surprised at herself.

_For some reason, it didn't feel weird to call him 'Shinjiro-senpai'. It was comfortable… and I feel closer to him… _Her eyebrows then scrunched together, head tilting slightly. _Or maybe it's because of his personality… And I'm having fun teasing him…? Ahh! Now I'm confused!_

Hikaru shook her head madly in an attempt to clear her head before getting up to her feet and walked over to the kitchen. She poked her head in, only to see Shinjiro busying around the stove, but he looked like a master chef. It suited him, somehow.

"You sure you don't need help?" Shinjiro turned around at the sound of her voice, his right hand still holding a frying pan.

"I thought I told you to wait." He said bluntly, continued to stir stuffs in the pan.

"I got bored." Hikaru answered, entering the kitchen area and perked her head to see what's in his hand. "Smell so good…" She commented, taking in the delicious scent.

"Tch. You just can't wait quietly huh?" Shinjiro complained, moving his hand swiftly to stir the rice in the frying pan. "Get yourself a drink. I'm almost done anyway." He said as he turned off the gas, grabbing the plate beside him.

"Yup." She agreed cheerfully, walked to the cabinet to get a mug. She poured hot green tea into it and accidently spill some on the back of her hand. "Oww!" She jerked her hand back, letting go of the mug, causing it to spill all over the counter.

"Akane!" Shinjiro exclaimed as he darted to her in an instant, taking her hand into his hold. "Idiot. I only let my eyes off you for a second and you already hurt yourself."

"I'm sorry…" Hikaru said in a small voice while Shinjiro ignored it completely as he was focusing on the burn on her hand.

"Idiot…" He repeated, brought her hand to his mouth and gently grazing his tongue over the wound to ease her pain. "I'll get you some ice. Wait here." and off he went, rummaging through the fridge, leaving Hikaru frozen, blushing like mad.

_Did Shinjiro-senpai just…?_

Before Hikaru could even finish the sentence in her mind, Shinjiro was back with an ice cube in his hand. He gently applied it to the burnt area, causing Hikaru to wince from the cold.

"Does it still hurt?" He asked in a stern voice, his face was serious and Hikaru could see worry in his brown eyes.

"Uh… N-Not that much…" She said shakily, still blushing deep red as she casted her eyes down, unable to meet his gaze. "T-Thank you, Shinjiro-senpai."

"Tch. You're so troublesome." He said to her, but his eyes were gentle, even his voice was warm. "I can't let my eyes off you for even a second."

"I-I'm sorry.." She apologized again, looking guilty.

"It looks okay now." Shinjiro stated as he took the ice cube off, throwing it into the sink. "Go put on a bandage. I'll take care of this mess." He said calmly, referring to the green tea spilled all over the counter.

"Ah! I'm sorry about the mess! I'll clean them!" Hikaru suddenly realized the mess she made on the counter. She quickly took a towel and moved over to the counter, wiping it off.

"Tch." Shinjiro let out a sigh. He darted over to Hikaru, grabbing both of her wrists from behind and pinned her at the counter, causing her to freeze.

"S-Shinjiro..senpai…" Hikaru said faintly, almost a whisper as she felt her own face heating up.

"Stop it, stupid." Shinjiro whispered at her ear, sighing deeply. "Stop acting like you're so strong when you're only a girl. And now you're hurt, why the hell do you have to worry about these little things."

Hikaru could only blush, unable to make a single sound as she could feel Shinjiro's hot breath against her neck. It sent shiver right down her spine, causing her to blush even more. She was glad that her back was facing him, so he could not see her face right now. However, she was surprise at herself that she didn't even try to protest or resist him, or even _think _of resisting at the first place. She didn't even feel uncomfortable, instead, she felt relax within his hold, the exotic warmth rising inside her heart.

Shinjiro rested his head on her shoulder, his face leaning toward her pale neck, eyes closed, taking in her scent. Hikaru shuddered slightly as she felt his breath brushing over her sensitive skin. Unfamiliar feeling spread through her body, an awareness of his warmth against hers made Hikaru tensed up, letting out a long sigh. Her breathing suddenly seemed so loud as silence filled the area; she could feel her heartbeat and, faintly, Shinjiro's. As she exhaled, Shinjiro's grips on her wrists suddenly tightened and she could hear him sighing quietly as well.

Neither of them spoke a word, only a faint sound of two breathing could be heard. It seemed like forever before Shinjiro slowly loosening his grips and took a step back, allowing the girl to move around more freely and expecting that she would immediately escape from his grasp, or at least backing away from him. Surprisingly, she didn't. Instead, she turned around to face him, still blushing deep red. Hikaru fought back her embarrassment to look up at him, into his brown eyes. They were beautiful, just like the moon, mysteriously charming, drawing her to sink in even further.

Shinjiro was also lost in her gaze. Her red eyes were like ruby, delicate, yet mystical, making one wonder. He looked deep into those eyes, caught a hint of a hidden desire within them and that was it. That was all he needed. He leaned in, closing the gap between them with a sweet kiss. Hikaru let out a soft moan, closing her eyes but didn't resist, it was like she already gave in. His lips brushed against hers slightly, gently at first then more passionate as she unintentionally parted her lips, letting his tongue into her mouth. He deepened the kiss, capturing the sweetness of her tongue with his own, causing Hikaru to moan quietly, her hands reached up and grabbed the back of his coat tightly to keep her from dropping to her knees. The sound of her moan only encouraged Shinjiro further. He leaned her body against the counter before tilting his head, making it easier for him to taste her as he continued to explore her mouth in a passionate, pleasurable kiss.

Shinjiro slowly pulled back, opening his eyes, only to see Hikaru looking at him with half-lidded eyes, panting and gasping for air, just as he expected. He didn't realize that his own breath also become shallow and heavy, almost a panting as well.

"*Bark*" The noise caused the two of them to jump to their feet, immediately pulling away from each other.

"K-Koro-chan!" Hikaru said in surprise, eyes widened as Koromaru walked up to them, wagging his tail. "Hey boy. You want to go for a walk?" She asked, receiving a nod as an answer. She then glanced to Shinjiro silently.

"You go on. I'll catch up in a minute. I have to clean up in here." He said in a plain voice, but somehow Hikaru could sense that he was not entirely himself right now. "Just go on ahead. Don't worry, I won't be long." He reassured her, his face was serious. So Hikaru could only nod, slowly walking out with Koromaru.

"Come on, boy." She called before disappearing into the lounge with the white Akita.

As soon as she left, Shinjiro let out a long sigh. He took in a deep breath in order to get his head straight. The feelings of Hikaru's soft lips against his own still imprinted within his mind, causing him to close his eyes, trying to suppress his feelings. He pressed his lips together, eyes clenching shut.

_It shouldn't be like this… I shouldn't leave anything behind.. No hopes, no regrets… It's supposed to be like that… _He bit his lower lip, exhaling loudly. _But why…! Why can't I let go of her…? Why do have no strength to stay away from her anymore…_

_Why…and when did she…become such an important existence to me…?_

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**P.S.2 Please please please review! I need some love too X3**


	5. Chapter 5 Moonlight Kiss

**Author's Note: **I know you guys may already got sick of me saying this, but thank you for reading on to Chapter 5! And thank you for those who review. (_lala_ and _pchan_, thank you for reviewing every chapter. You guys are great! Thanks to all whose I didn't mention also though! I read every review many times!) It really makes me happy and really urges me to continue working on the next chapter. Reviews are the source of my imagination and power xD  
Also, I have a special thank you for **WipingAllOut** for his/her wonderful review. Thank you so much and also thank you for the opinion on Aki/Hikaru/Shinji. I want to let you know that because of your review and opinion, I could work on this chapter and finally get the clearer idea on how I'm going to continue this story. Your review really helps me, and inspires me. Thank you again. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well.  
Now, back on the normal topic, I have to say that I also enjoyed writing this chapter, as much as the last one. I tried my best to make it emotional, not sure if I achieved that or not, so please let me know if you guys like it.  
Also, (little spoils for this and future chapters) I know Shinji gets a lot of attention for 2 whole chapters (including this one). But don't worry. Aki will also get more actions in next chapter onward. I had to give someone an edge in order to start the drama. Yes, the drama is just starting! More to come! (I'm so excited.)  
Though, I have to admit that I haven't had it all planned out quite yet. But at least I got the main ideas to work on, all thanks to WipingAllOut, again.  
Wow, I think this Free Talk section is getting too long now, so I won't keep you here any longer. Here's Chapter 5, I worked hard so I hope that you guys will like it.  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

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**Chapter 5 Moonlight Kiss**

**1F Dorm Lounge – Evening**

Hikaru quickly walked into the lounge, grabbing the leash near the reception and headed straight for the front door without a word. Koromaru was running beside her, wagging his tail happily. She was praying in her mind that no one would come up or call her at this moment, but seemed like it wasn't her lucky day.

"Akane?" The familiar voice caused her to halt. Hikaru let out a soft sigh before turning her head to see that the voice was Akihiko's.

"Yes, senpai?" She asked, trying to keep her voice even. Her eyes then glanced around the room, noticing that everyone else was gone.

"You're going for a walk?" Akihiko asked, walked up to her while looking at the leash in her hand.

"Yes. Koro-chan came to get me. He seems to be very energetic tonight." She responded, still trying to remain calm and speak normally.

"Oh. I'll come with you then. I could use a walk too." His words made Hikaru flinched a little, the expression on her face slightly changed. Luckily, Akihiko didn't catch a sight of that.

"U-Um… Senpai.. I.." She said shakily, struggled for words as well as having a hard time finding an excuse to tell Akihiko not to come with her.

"Sorry, Aki. It's already been decided that I'll accompany her tonight." The deep voice coming from behind caused the two of them to turn around, only to see that it was Shinjiro. His tall figure stepped in between the two, blocking Akihiko's sight so that he didn't see that Hikaru's face went slightly red over Shinjiro's presence. His brown eyes then focused on his best friend.

"Shinji?" Akihiko's voice raised in confusion. He glanced over to Hikaru then back at Shinjiro, wearing a questioning look. "What do you mean, already been decided?" He asked in a stern voice.

"I already offered to go with her on the walk and she accepted." He lied. The expression on his face was completely unreadable. "Besides, didn't you get to take Koromaru for a walk the other night?"

"Yes." Akihiko was forced to admit, though his eyes never left Shinjiro's face.

"Well then, it's just fair that I'm taking him out tonight, right?" He asked again and Akihiko could only remain still, unable to answer. "Then, if you'll excuse us, Koromaru seems to be anxious to go out right now." Shinjiro finally concluded the conversation, one arm reaching back, taking Hikaru's hand within his hold. His brown eyes were looking straight at his friend. "If you have something to say to me, Aki, I'll talk to you after we get back." with that, he opened the front door with his free hand and disappeared into the darkness, taking Hikaru and the white dog with him.

Akihiko, who was left alone, could only stand there in silence, watching three hazy shadows of two people and one dog moving further away from the dorm. He pressed his lips together, clenching both of his hands into fists as he gritted his teeth, feeling irritated for unknown reason.

"Dammit!" Akihiko cursed under his breath, slamming his right punch at the wall with a loud thud. He sensed that there was something going on with those two, the atmosphere and Shinjiro's stare told him so. And he was frustrated for not be able to do anything about it. He couldn't even argue or say a word back to Shinjiro.

_Why am I so frustrated to see Shinji with Akane…? _He paused, lifted his hand up to rest over his heart, clenching his eyes shut._ What is this…pain…? _Akihiko repeated the questions several times, still no answer from within his own heart. He exhaled, walked to the living room area and sunk back to the couch, hands covering his head.

**Naganaki Shrine**

The moon wasn't full yet, but the moonlight was so bright that the whole area can be seen through the nighttime. Both Hikaru and Shinjiro didn't say a word as they made their way upstairs and into the shrine, the girl's hand still in his grasp the whole time. As always, when they entered the shrine area, Koromaru immediately ran off, sniffing and exploring around curiously, leaving the two alone in silence.

Hikaru stared at her hand, saying nothing, taking in the warmth from a person holding her hand and felt a strange feelings rising in her heart. She took in a deep breath, gathering enough courage to lift her eyes to look at him and break the silence.

"Shinjiro-senpai… I..!" But before she could even finish the sentence, Shinjiro suddenly pulled her into his arms, embraced her tightly.

"Don't…" He whispered at her ear, his voice trembling slightly, unlike him. "Don't say anything…"

"But-" Her voice got cut off when he pressed his lips to hers to stop her words. His kiss was gentle, yet passionate. It brought unfamiliar sensation running through her whole body, causing her to moan quietly within her throat, eyes closed to absorb the warmth and gentleness of his lips.

Shinjiro drew back slightly, his face still closed to her. Hikaru opened her eyes slowly to meet his gaze. He looked deep into those beautiful eyes before lowering his head and rested it on her shoulder, eyes casting down at the ground.

"I don't know what to do…" He said faintly, almost a whisper. "Your warmth… Your kindness… I become a totally different person around you.. When I'm with you, I feel like I'm losing myself, slowly." He paused, biting his lip. "Dammit…I shouldn't get too attached to anything..or anyone.. It should be like that.."

Hikaru just stood there, stunned by his words. It was as she thought. He always created a wall between himself and other people, a wall to seal himself within, as he tried not to get close to anyone and acting as if he's a cold, heartless person. He's just like the moon, his Arcana, mysteriously beautiful and magnificent, yet able to shine brightly only in the night sky, to gently guide those in the dark but never dare to compare with the brilliance of the sun. However, Hikaru felt that somehow, when she looked up at the moon, she felt lonely inside, just like when she looked at Shinjiro right now.

"You're not alone, Shinjiro-senpai…" She comforted him, brought her shaky hand up to stroke his hair gently. She could hear him inhaled sharply, still keeping his head down.

"Akane." He called, lifting his head up to look at her in the eyes, his face was serious. "I'm sorry. Please forget everything that happened tonight. Forget all about it, all about me."

Hikaru pressed her lips together. His expression was so sad, so painful. It's heartbreaking to see him like this. However, the second she heard those words, the bottom of her eyes suddenly felt hot, tears started to overflow.

"I can't…" She protested, her voice trembling hard as she fought back her tears. "No..! You can't! Y-You can't say all these things to me and expect me to forget everything! You just can't-!" Despite her effort, tears started to roll down her face. She was shaking, her eyes looking at him painfully.

"Shit. Don't cry." He clenched his hand into a fist and embraced her again, tightly, holding her head to rest on his chest.

"How can I forget it? Your gentleness, your touch…" She muttered against his chest, sobbing. "I already fell for you… Even though..I don't know why and when… But I have fallen for you…"

"Idiot." He said under his breath, but his arms around her tightened. "You're such an idiot, falling for someone like me."

"Heh. You're the one to talk." Hikaru managed to force out a laugh, tears streaming down her cheeks as Shinjiro slowly loosening his hold so that he could see her face. It caused her to look up at him in tears.

"You can't let anyone know about this. I'm just a nobody. I can't be your lover or ask you to be mine. Why would you want to give your heart to someone like me?" He asked in a low voice; never let his eyes off her.

"I didn't ask you to be my lover, nor did I ask to be yours." She assured him, still shedding tears. "I only asked for you to acknowledge my feelings.. Is that too much to ask?"

"Stupid." He cursed, but his voice was soft. "Even if you give your heart to me, you won't get anything back. You can't even call me your lover or your boyfriend. I ain't anything like that. You're going to get hurt when you see other couples, see that they have each other and you have nothing, compare to them."

"I don't care." She replied immediately, reaching her hand up to ruffle at his hair. "I don't care if we're not lovers. I don't want you to give me anything in return. I just know that you'll be there for me, and you'll protect me. That's all I need."

"Hmph. Who said I'd do all that?" He chuckled softly, leaning down to her face, tracing his mouth along her wet cheek and wiping her tears with his tongue.

"Just… let me fall for you… even further…" She looked deep into those brown eyes as she said the last word. Shinjiro just stared at her lovingly, totally surrendered.

"Promise me that you won't cry." He demanded, not breaking the eye contact. "No matter what."

"I won't." She replied without thinking, smiling at him as he bent down, his hands wrapped around her waist while he sealed her lips with his own. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him closer before voluntarily parted her lips and Shinjiro wouldn't miss his chance. He devoured the divine taste of her mouth with his tongue as he taught the girl how to respond to him. She caught up quickly, inserting her tongue into his mouth and received a wave of pleasure shot down her spine as he nibbled at it, drawing the sweet taste and providing her with the same sensation.

"*Bark*" The bark startled them a bit, but not as much as before as they were still connected in a passionate kiss. Few seconds later, they pulled apart, Shinjiro's eyes then glanced over to the white Akita who sat there, wagging his tail.

"You sure know when to interrupt, huh?" He remarked, smiling at Koromaru.

"Oh! Aigis! I forgot that she can understand Koro-chan.." Hikaru suddenly realized that their secret could leak out as Aigis could understand the dog language, also given that Koromaru had walked in on them twice. Worry then painted across her face as she looked at the white dog.

"Hmph. That could be a problem." Shinjiro agreed, thinking carefully before rising up an eyebrow and bending down to his knee. "Hey boy. I know you can understand me. Can you keep a secret?"

A smile stretched across Hikaru's face as she kept quiet, watching Shinjiro's actions. While Koromaru perked his ears up, looking innocent but interested.

"If you stay quiet and keep it a secret from everyone, especially that robot, I'll cook you special meals every day, how about it?" He said in a gentle voice. Koromaru just tilted his head to the side as if he was thinking.

"*Bark*" He barked, nodding his head, showing that he'd agreed to the conditions. Shinjiro just smiled, patted Koromaru's furry head and got up to his feet, turning to Hikaru.

"Wow, Shinjiro-senpai. I never knew that a dog understand the concept of bribery." She teased, smirking at him.

"Well, up until now I never thought that a dog could control a Persona. So this isn't all that surprising, is it?" He replied, grabbing her shoulder and pulled her close to him. "You just got me another piece of work, y'know that?"

"You love to cook anyway, so you can't turn this around on me." She countered, only to make Shinjiro chuckle lightly, amused.

"Fine." He let it go, still holding her close.

"And I thought I don't get to win today." She said cheerfully, flashed a teasing smile to a person next to her.

"Damn right, you don't." Hikaru giggled as Shinjiro's lips met hers once more, this time for a quick, loving kiss. He drew back, giving her a peck on her forehead. "That was a promise."

"Hmm? Yes, I did make a promise, how about you? What's your promise?" She asked curiously, smiling at him.

"It won't kill you to let little details go sometimes." He lectured, which caused the brunette girl to make a face.

"But this is not little details!" She protested, holding on to his coat. "Come on, tell me! I have the right to know too!"

"And I thought you said you don't want anything in return?" He mocked, smirking evilly.

"Grrr!" She glowered at him, making a low growl like a little puppy, resulted in Shinjiro's smile getting wider.

"What are you, a dog?" He teased, still wearing an evil smirk on his face. "C'mon. Let's go back. It's getting late." He managed to say it between his chuckles, holding out his hand.

Hikaru stared at him for a long time before finally let out a soft sigh in defeat. She put her hand in his and started walking, her face beaming the entire way back to the dorm, with Koromaru running beside them. Shinjiro just looked at the girl next to him with a gentle, yet determined gaze.

_I promise…I'll protect you…for all these time I have left…no matter how short it may be…_

_Until that day comes…I'll never leave you…_

_I promise…_

_Hikaru…_

He repeated his oath over and over as he held on to Hikaru's hand firmly, implying that he would never let her go.

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P.S. Sorry for the length, but it's such a perfect moment to end the chapter.  
**P.S.2 Please please please review! I really need some love!**

_Spoilers: Yes, they didn't say 'I love you' to each other. A word 'love' is not mentioned by any of them, only 'lovers'. And *if* you're wondering, I wrote it like that on purpose... You'll know soon enough.. *runs away*_


	6. Chapter 6 Worried

**Author's Note: **Thank you for reading onto Chapter 6! And thank you thank you thank you for those wonderful reviews! I can't say thank you enough! I'm soooo happy! Really, I don't know how I can put it into words, but **thank you so much!** I never thought I could receive these many reviews for one chapter. I can't tell you how happy I am. Your reviews are my power and my inspiration. Thank you again everyone! I really appreciated it.  
Now, how should I brief you on this chapter… I'd say that you'll see how sweet Akihiko is. Yeah, I know that some of you are rooting for Akihiko and wish that he would have more roles/actions. Don't worry, he _will_. I assure you that he will, please bear with me for now. The drama is just starting, I'm working on it.  
Oh, and to answer one of the review. Yes, there'll be love scenes later on. I did rate this fic M didn't I? So yeah, there'll be love scenes/mature contents in future chapters. I just don't want to jump to that just yet. I want to create a story and relationships first, so that the love scenes would be meaningful. I'm sorry if I keep you guys waiting long, but yeah… I want to do the drama first. Lols.  
I gotta tell you, I've only written one lemon for Harvest Moon, and only one chapter. So I'll be having a hard time writing love scenes later on, but I'll do my best. So again, please bear with me for now… I'm still learning and improving.  
Ah, also, my 2nd year at the university is starting tomorrow. I'm not sure if I'll have as much time to work on this story or not. But I'll do my best, as usual. I'll try not to keep you guys waiting long. Especially not after those wonderful reviews I received. So yeah, I'll try to update as soon as possible.  
I think I've kept you here for a while now, so here's Chapter 6! I hope you guys like it as much as the others!  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

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**Chapter 6 Worried**

**1F Dorm Lounge – Late Evening**

"We're back." Hikaru said as she entered the dorm with Shinjiro and Koromaru. The white Akita just wandered into the lounge, whining happily. He lay down at his usual spot and went straight to sleep, causing Hikaru to giggle at him.

"Ah, you guys are back. How was the walk?" Hikaru turned around at the voice, and there was no surprised to see Akihiko sitting at the couch, holding a book in his hand and looking straight at her and Shinjiro.

"It was great." She answered, grinning. "The weather was nice too. I'm sorry I didn't take you with me… but I already promised Shinjiro-senpai.."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it." Akihiko said, waving his hand, though he did notice that Hikaru referred to Shinjiro by his first name, causing Akihiko's expression to change for a split second then immediately back to normal. "You don't have to feel guilty. It's not your fault." He added, all the while keeping his eyes on Shinjiro, who stared back silently.

"I'm going to make Koromaru dinner. Call me if you need anything." Shinjiro stated, the last sentence he said directly to Hikaru before taking off, disappearing into the kitchen.

"So, you had fun?" The sudden question from Akihiko startled Hikaru a bit. She arched up an eyebrow, curiosity painted across her face but she decided to say nothing about it.

"I think it was Koro-chan who had fun, but it's good to get some fresh air." She replied, trying not to think about what really happened since it would bring blush to her face. "But I'm surprised to see you're up so late, senpai." She commented, taking off her shoes and walked up to sit next to Akihiko.

"Well, I usually stay up quite late, studying and training, but then again, I spend most of the time in my room." He explained with a gentle smile, his eyes then widened when he suddenly caught a sight of Hikaru's hand and noticed the burn on the back. "Akane! What happened to your hand?" He said in a serious voice, taking a hold of her hand.

"Ah, that. I completely forgot." She said shyly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Um.. well.. I spilled some hot green tea over it before I went for a walk. It doesn't hurt as much anymore though."

"Wait here, I'll get the first aid kit." and without giving a chance for her to respond, he was off, going through the shelf near the reception, grabbed a white box and came back in a matter of seconds.

"You don't have to be so anxious, senpai. It's nothing." The way he rushed things for her caused Hikaru to giggle softly, feeling the warmth rising in her heart, but Akihiko seemed too focused on her injury to pay attention to that.

"At least take care of it properly." He said in a stern voice as he gently applied the medicine on her wound. Hikaru then noticed that his face was very serious, he was truly worried about her. It somehow made her blush lightly.

"I'm sorry, senpai." Hikaru said softly, looking guilty, causing Akihiko to turn to her, wearing a questioning look.

"Why are you apologizing?" He asked, his voice was gentle, full of worry.

"Because you seem so worried about me." She replied in a faint voice, looking down at her hand.

"Of course I'm worried." He said, still looking at her with gentle gaze as he carefully put a bandage on the back of her hand. "You always push yourself so hard, trying your best in everything. Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing. You're a great leader. But you have to take care of yourself sometimes. You worry me."

"I…" was all Hikaru could get out. The warmth and gentleness in his voice caused her to blush. She wasn't familiar to this feeling, to have others worried about her since she was always alone, up until now. "I-I'm sorry.." She whispered, still looking down but a faint smile slowly appeared on her face. "It's just… I don't know what it's like…to have someone worried about me so much.."

"I understand.." Again, his voice was gentle, so gentle that she could felt unfamiliar warmth rising inside her. "But you're not alone anymore. You have friends, you have us. All members of S.E.E.S. worried about you. We're all here for you. And **I** am here, _for you_." He looked deep into her eyes as he said it, his expression showed that he was serious, with every word he had said.

Hikaru expected that he would get all embarrassed and say something like 'I didn't mean it that way', but he didn't, he just kept looking straight at her, as if he was telling her that he meant it.

Somehow, she was suddenly aware that her hand was still in Akihiko's grasp. He gently held on to it, brushing his thumb over her wound tenderly, as if he was trying to ease her pain. This caused her to blush darker shade of red, unable to meet his eyes.

"T-Thank you… Sanada-senpai.." She finally broke the silence, only to receive a scolding look from the person in front of her, making her realize. "Ah! Um… I mean.. Thank you… Akihiko-senpai.." She corrected, casting her eyes down.

"What's wrong?" He asked out of curiosity, noticing that she wouldn't meet his gaze for a while now.

"N-Nothing.. senpai.. It's just…" Hikaru pressed her lips together, gathered enough courage to look up at him. "You're so kind to me… I just…don't know what to do…"

"Ah, I'm sorry! Did I make you uncomfortable?" Akihiko responded, immediately letting go of her hand. He started to panic.

"No! It's not that…!" She paused, trying to think of the right thing to say to him. "As I said before… I'm not used to having someone getting so worried about me.. I don't know what to do…" Her eyes casted down again as she muttered under her breath, blushing deep red. "What should I do… at a time like this…?"

Akihiko let out a soft sigh, he pressed his lips together, pulling the girl into his arm in a tight embrace, causing her to freeze, eyes widened in surprise.

"A-Akihiko-senpai!" She exclaimed shakily, her arms remained in the air, unsure of what to do.

"I'm sorry… But could you let me stay like this.. just for a second… _Please…_" His voice made her freeze. She couldn't explain why, but it sent exotic warmth through her body, calming her down, though the sensation was not the same when she was with Shinjiro. It was different, but she was unable to put it into words.

Hikaru calmed down after a while and she could hear her own breathing, as well as Akihiko's. She couldn't tell how much time had passed until she noticed that he hadn't move an inch and his breathing became surprisingly steady. She pushed him back slightly to look at his face, only to see that he was asleep.

She raised her eyebrow in surprise, gently laid his body onto the couch, careful not to wake him up. Her red eyes studied his sleeping face; somehow, he looked kind of worn out.

"That idiot." The deep, familiar voice caused Hikaru to flinch in surprise, gazing her eyes back to see Shinjiro walking up to her, his eyes looking at Akihiko. He was wearing his usual unreadable expression. "He was waiting for you to come back even though he was exhausted. I guess he wanted to make sure that you're safe." He added, his face had not changed at all. "Tch. This idiot. Like I'd let anything happened to you."

Hikaru smiled at his words. She then turned to look at Akihiko, a gentle smile stretched across her face.

"I wonder why he's so nice to me…" She mumbled innocently, eyes studying Akihiko's peaceful face, her hand touching his silver hair gently. Shinjiro's gaze suddenly turned to her, a thought popped into his mind.

_Hikaru must have reminded him of Miki… But if that's not the case… then maybe…_

"I think I should turn in too. I have school tomorrow." Hikaru words interrupted Shinjiro's thought. She focused her eyes at Akihiko once more. "But we can't leave him like this. What are we gonna do?"

"It's late. Just go to bed. I'll take care of this idiot." Shinjiro concluded bluntly, turning his head to look at Hikaru.

"Okay." She agreed obediently before looking up at him. "And… I'm sorry I have to skip dinner again today. I'm too tired and too sleepy to eat. But I'll have a proper dinner tomorrow, I promise!"

Her words brought a faint smile to Shinjiro's face. His arm pulled her close for a quick kiss on the lips. His face was kind when he drew back.

"I'll let that go for today. Just go to sleep." He repeated, giving her a light kiss on her forehead. "Good night."

"Good night." She said with a big grin before wandered off, disappearing to the second floor.

Now that Hikaru was gone, Shinjiro sighed to himself, his eyes focused on Akihiko, who was still in deep slumber.

"Now I have to carry you?" He questioned, knowing that he wouldn't get anything in reply. He sighed deeply once more while walking to his friend. He put Akihiko's arm over his shoulder and held his body up, groaning at the weight. "Damn. Heavier than you look." He complained, trying to keep balance as he partly held Akihiko to walk along with him.

"….Hi…karu…" A sound escaped Akihiko's lips, which caught Shinjiro's attention in an instant. The sound was faint; almost a whisper, but it was so loud in Shinjiro's mind.

"Aki.. you…" He paused, pressing his lips together to restrain his mixed emotions. He let out a long sigh, turning his attention back to helping Akihiko get back to his room.

**The Next Day**

**In front of Gekkoukan High – Early Morning**

It was a normal morning, early in the morning. Hikaru, Junpei and Yukari were walking from the train station to the school, with Junpei talking and complaining the whole time.

"God. I'm still so damn sleepy." Junpei yawned, tears swelling up in his eyes. "Why do we have to go to school so early? I just don't get it."

"Gosh. Did you ever shut up?" Yukari rolled her eyes.

"Come on Yuka-tan! It's too early to study! I can't concentrate when I'm sleepy." He protested, gaining another eyes rolling from the person mentioned.

"Like you _ever _concentrate!" She countered immediately. "You'll be sleeping in class anyway. So why complain?"

Hikaru just watched two of them arguing in silence. Nice weather, Junpei looked like he's ready to doze off the minute they got to class, Yukari was sick of him complaining and the two of them arguing. _Yup, just the usuals._

As she was about to finish her routine school morning by get in the school and head straight to class, upon her arriving in front of Gekkoukan High, her eyes caught a sight of familiar figure with beautiful silver hair entering the school gate, not so far from her.

_Akihiko-senpai?_

Hikaru paused for a moment.

"Hey, you guys go ahead to the classroom. I'll catch up later." and with that, she was off, walking with more speed than usual.

Surprised by Hikaru sudden words, Yukari and Junpei immediately stopped their argument. The teen boy tilted his head to the side, raising a brow.

"Where's she goin'?" He wondered as Yukari's eyes followed her friend. She looked ahead to where Hikaru was heading, a faint smile then appeared on her face when she saw Akihiko.

"Let's go." Yukari said after knowing the reason. She grabbed Junpei's arm, forcing him to come with her.

"W-Wait! We don't know where Hika-chan is going yet!" He protested.

"Oh, just shut up, Stupei!" She said, slightly annoyed as she was using her full force to drag him into the school, with Junpei resisting the entire time.

Meanwhile, the sound of footsteps rushing toward him caused Akihiko to turned around, warmth rising in his heart as he saw Hikaru trying to catch up to him.

"Akane?"

"You walk so fast, Akihiko-senpai." Hikaru told him, breathing quickly. She arched an eyebrow when she lifted her head and saw surprise painted across Akihiko's face. She spoke her thought. "Why are you looking so surprise, senpai?"

"Oh, nothing," he said, a faint blush appeared on his face. "It's just that… I don't get to see you in the morning so often."

"Yes, you're right.." She realized. "Um.. H-How are you feeling?" The question brought back the surprising look on Akihiko's face. "I mean, last night, you fell asleep all of the sudden so I figured you must be very tired."

"Ah, that." Akihiko looked away from her gaze, embarrassed. "I-um…"

"If its okay with you, can I say something first?" Hikaru interrupted him, waiting until she received a nod from him then continued. "I-I just want to say…" She paused, feeling her own face heating up. Taking in a deep breath, she forced herself to go on. "T-Thank you for staying up and waited for me last night. You must be exhausted. And I'm sorry for making you worried so much."

_Argh! Why is it so embarrassing just to say something this simple? _She shouted silently, still blushing deep red.

Akihiko's eyes widened with surprise for a second. He looked at the girl in front of him, a weird feeling twirling inside him. He couldn't explain why. _She knew I was waiting for her? Wait, how can-? N-No! That's not important! But she is not mad at me? Wha- Argh! What the hell! My head is a mess right now!_

After panicking in his own head for a while, Akihiko finally spoke.

"I-It's okay. Don't worry about it." His gaze then moved to her hand. "How about your hand? Is it getting better?"

"Much. Because you helped me last night, it doesn't hurt at all. Thank you again." She said with a big smile, causing Akihiko's heart to skip a beat. But before any of them could say anything, the first bell rang throughout the school. "Shoot! I have to hurry! Sorry for holding you here, senpai!" She told him, turning around to run toward her classroom.

"Wait!" He grabbed her wrist, causing her to look back at him curiously. "If you aren't doing anything after school, would you like to go somewhere with me?"

Hikaru was quite surprised by his sudden request, but after all he'd done for her, she just gave him a bright smile.

"Of course, senpai. See you after school!" She answered cheerfully. Akihiko just smiled back and let go of her wrist. She flashed him another gentle smile before running off to her classroom.

After Hikaru left, Akihiko then rushed toward his classroom, all the while pondering and thinking hard on only one serious question.

_Great. Now, how the hell should I tell the members of the boxing team that their Captain is not going to be there for today's practice?_

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**P.S. Please review! Reviews are the source of my power :3**


	7. Chapter 7 Shaken

**Author's Note: **I could say this over and over again. Thank you for reading onto Chapter 7! And also thank you for those who review! I know last chapter didn't have much action, so thank you for reading and reviewing!  
Now, to brief you on this chapter, I'll sum it up in one sentence. "Drama is starting!" Yup! The real drama is starting from this chapter, and more drama to come! I can't wait! Minor spoilers though, I don't understand why Aki seems to be a bad guy here. Lols, but anyway!  
I'm so excited to finally start the drama I planned since the few chapters back. I enjoyed writing this chapter so much! It's fun, and for some reason, I felt like torturing Aki.. *evil laughs* But I still love Aki though. So I won't keep you Akihiko's fans waiting long. Drama is starting, as well as Aki's roles and actions. The relationship between Aki/Hikaru/Shinji is getting more serious and intense. I did have quite a hard time explaining and expressing character's emotions and actions. I hope it came out well, please let me know if you guys like it or not.  
Okay, enough rambling and spoiling. Here's Chapter 7! Prepare for some drama! I hope you all enjoy it!  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

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**Chapter 7 Shaken**

**Classroom 2-F – Morning**

Luckily, Hikaru arrived at her classroom just in time before the class started. She sat down as Yukari eyes watched her intently, her face looked anxious. While Junpei, on the other hand, was already asleep so he won't be bothering any of them for a while.

"What?" Unable to endure the stare any longer, she asked, glanced over to her best friend who gave her a meaningful smirk.

"I saw it." Yukari told her, still smiling. "You went to see Sanada-senpai didn't you?"

"Gosh. Do we have to do this now?" Hikaru rolled her eyes, only to receive an evil grin from a girl next to her.

"Tell me everything." She urged.

"No!" Hikaru said immediately. "What's with you?"

"You never tell me anything!" Yukari protested, not letting this go easily.

"Because there's nothing to tell!" She countered. "And what's with you and your curiosity? Do you have to be like this every time I talk to Sanada-senpai?"

"I notice that he's always watching you." Yukari explained, still giving Hikaru a mischievous grin. "And he's always worried about you. Doesn't that tell you something?"

"I'm a leader of S.E.E.S." She responded, unfazed by the information received from her best friend. "Of course he would worry about me, as a _team member_." She stressed.

"Nah-uh. I've seen the way he looks at you. He never looked at anyone like that except you. Trust me." The girl nodded in order to convince her. "I just want you to tell me if anything happen. I'm not asking for much here."

"Fine." Hikaru sighed in defeat. Once again, she couldn't beat Yukari in an argument, especially on this topic. "Right now, there's nothing going on between me and Sanada-senpai. If there is, you'll be the first one to know, I promise." She concluded, finally succeeded in making Yukari drop the subject. The girl gave a satisfied smile, sitting upright as the teacher walked in, while Hikaru just breathed out heavily, relieved.

_Well, I only said 'Sanada-senpai'. That means the thing between me and Shinjiro-senpai doesn't count. Soooo… technically, I didn't lie to you. _She added in her mind and turned her full attention back to the class.

**After School**

After the last bell had rung, Hikaru quickly gathered her belongings and managed to escape from the classroom before Yukari or Junpei could even notice. Letting out a soft sigh in relief, she made her way down the stairs. No surprise, she saw Akihiko down the hallway, already waiting.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, senpai. My class ended a little later than usual." She apologized, approaching him quietly.

"No, it's okay." Akihiko replied with a smile. "Where do you want to go today?"

"I picked last time. So how about we go somewhere you want today?" Hikaru asked back, also smiling.

"Ah… I don't really have a place in mind." He admitted shyly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Okay," she paused, thinking for a bit. "Then why don't we take a walk? We could wander around the city or something like that. The weather is nice."

"Sounds great." was his reply as they made their way out. They managed to leave the school safely without running into any of Akihiko's fan girls. The two of them then wandered from Iwatodai station to Iwatodai Strip Mall where Hikaru insisted that they stopped at a crepe shop.

"Thank you!" The shop owner shouted as he handed Hikaru a delicious looking crepe. She was beaming, so bright that Akihiko had to give a smile.

"I thought you said you don't like things that are too sweet." He teased, receiving a pout from the girl beside him.

"I don't like things that are_ too _sweet, but I do like sweet things." She explained, trying to make it sounds confusing on purpose.

"I heard from Yamagishi that you joined the cooking club." He said, smiling. "Is that because you like sweets?"

"That's one of the reasons," she replied, taking a bite of the crepe. "Well, I think cooking is fun. Not that I love to cook like Fuuka or I'm a professional chef like Shinjiro-senpai… But I guess I feel somewhat fulfilling when I see that people are happy when they eat my cooking."

"Maybe you could make me something, if you feel like it." He suggested.

"Sure, senpai. I'd love to cook for you. What do you want to eat?" She asked, taking another bite of her crepe.

"Um.. Pancakes.. maybe?" He answered nervously. Somehow, the word 'for you' caused a warm feeling rising in his heart.

"Pancakes?" Hikaru couldn't help but throwing him a questioning look.

"I like them." He told her, gaining a giggle from her as a respond. "Doesn't seem like something I'd like, huh?"

"Ahaha. I'm just a little surprise. But honestly, yes, it doesn't suit you at all." She took another big bite of the crepe, still giggling cutely. However, she suddenly stopped as she realized something. Her crimson eyes gazed down to the ground. Akihiko noticed that immediately.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing… senpai.. it's just.." Hikaru paused for a moment, hesitating of whether she should say what's on her mind or not. "C-Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." He nodded, encouraged her to go on.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She looked up at him, her red eyes focusing on his. "Please don't get me wrong… It makes me happy… but I couldn't get this thought out of my mind.." Her eyes moved down to the ground once more. "You're popular, one of the most popular guys in school. There are so many girls who wanted to be with you. So no matter how I look at it, or how many times I think about it, I don't understand why you're so nice to someone like me."

"The fact that there're many girls who wanted to be with me, it's bothering you?" He asked back.

"Somehow," Hikaru let out a soft sigh. "I didn't mean it that way though. It's just that they _really _want to be with you. They'd do anything just to be near you. Seeing that, it got me wondering why you didn't choose to be with one of them, the one who really and truly wants to be with you."

Akihiko was still, fazed by her words. The expression on his face suddenly saddened.

"Does that mean.. you…don't want to be with me?" He managed to ask in a very soft voice, however, Hikaru could sense the pain in his tone.

"No!" She replied immediately, eyes now focused on Akihiko. "I'm happy to be with you! When I'm with you I-" Realizing what she was saying, Hikaru stopped, one hand covering her mouth as she looked away, avoiding his gaze.

"What? Akane." He asked in a serious voice, but Hikaru wouldn't meet his gaze, nor did she reply. Akihiko pressed his lips together. The emotions and feelings were overtaking him. He let out a sharp exhale before darting over to Hikaru. He forced her to step back, her back leaning against the wall with his arms on the either side of her, his face no more than two inches away from her.

"Akihiko-senpai!" She said in surprised, totally didn't expect this move of his. His grey eyes were close, too close that she had to avoid his gaze by looking to the side. Surprisingly, there was no one around.

"Look at me." His voice was deep, it made her blush a darker shade of red. "Look at me, Hikaru." Her eyes widened at the sound of her name, without knowing it, she slowly turned her head to look at him, only to see a serious expression on his face. The expression she'd never seen from him before. "Tell me what's on your mind…"

"I…" Hikaru felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest. It was racing like crazy. And with Akihiko's eyes looking deep into hers, just making it worse.

"You don't have to hide anything from me. Just tell me… _Please…_" He whispered, not letting his eyes off her for a second. "Let me know what you're thinking…"

"…" She couldn't bring herself to answer as he leaned in. Without knowing it, she slowly closed her eyes, feeling his warm breath getting closer. Just before his lips could touch her, images of someone suddenly flashed into her mind. His face, emotions, expressions and the familiar voice echoed in her head.

'_Promise me that you won't cry.'_

'_No matter what.'_

Her crimson eyes suddenly snapped open. She forced her powerless arms to push Akihiko away, tears swelling up in her eyes as she looked at him painfully.

"I can't… senpai.. I'm sorry.." She managed to say that between her sobs. Forcing back her tears, she ran away, as fast as she could. Right now, she needed to be far away from him as much as possible. As tears streaming down her eyes, she kept running without looking back, leaving the silver haired youth behind her.

Akihiko, who was left alone, could only clench his eyes shut. He bit his lower lip as hard as he could, as if he was trying to draw blood from it. His hands were trembling, hard. He clinched them into fists as he groaned out. It was a sharp, painful cry.

"Grghhhhhhh!" His strong punch crashed into the wall with a loud noise, red liquid slowly dripping down his palm and fell to the ground. But Akihiko couldn't bring himself to care. The pain in his heart was far too torturing than any physical pain he'd ever felt up until now.

_What have I done?_

**Near Iwatodai Dorm**

Meanwhile, Hikaru was still running like mad. She was losing her breath, tears started to dry out but she still kept going. She finally reached the dorm and couldn't bring herself to calm down right now. She brought her sleeve up to wipe her tears, also trying to prevent more from coming. Still panting, she entered the dorm. Fortunately, there was no one there except Koromaru, who was taking a nap near the sofa. The girl took a deep breath and headed straight to the kitchen then let out a long sigh in relief when she found Shinjiro there, alone. He turned around at the sound of panting and footsteps.

"Akan- Whoa!" His called got cut off as he exclaimed in surprise when Hikaru suddenly rushed into him, her arms trembling as she embraced him tightly. He froze for a moment then slowly put his arms around her, patting her head gently. "Hey hey, what happened?"

The gentleness of his tone only made Hikaru want to cry more, it reminded her of what she almost did. She fought back her tears, shaking her head without saying a word.

"Okay," He said in a gentle voice in an effort to calm her down. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine with me." He added, tenderly stroking the back of her head.

The silence fell between them. No one spoke a word as Hikaru buried her face in Shinjiro's chest, absorbing the warmth and indulging herself in his scent. While Shinjiro just remained silent, holding her close to him lovingly. Even with him saying nothing, Hikaru could feel the kindness and worry from him, from his body, from his scent.

Hikaru finally calmed down after a while. She slowly lifted her head from Shinjiro's chest and looked up, only to see him looking at her with a kind gaze. He ran his finger under her eyes, gently rubbing off her dried tears.

"Feeling better yet, stupid?" His voice was soft, kind of teasing. "C'mere." He said as he guided her to the chair. He sat down, seated Hikaru on his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her balance. "Rough day?"

"Yeah…" She replied in a faint voice, putting her hand on his shoulder to steady herself.

"Hmph. You're one hell of a girl. Bursting in all of the sudden and rushed into me. If I hadn't known better, I'd think you were trying to confess to me." He teased, making Hikaru flinched for a tiny second. "Hey, I'm teasing, idiot." He added after noticing her flinch and gave a light push on the head.

Hikaru forced a smile, letting out a soft sigh in process. Shinjiro just stared at her, his brown eyes studying her expression.

"I'm sorry…" She said under her breath, totally aware of his concern. "My head is a mess right now… I can't think straight.. I'm all confused and I don't know what to do…!" She admitted, started to panic a little.

"Oy oy.." He interrupted, calming her down. "Don't worry. It's okay. No need to panic." He was surprisingly calm as he touched her forehead with his. "Look at me."

"!" Hikaru suddenly jolted back at the words, startled Shinjiro and causing him to pull back a little. She gazed her eyes down at the floor, feeling guilty to react that way when he was trying to make her feel better. But she couldn't help it; they were the same words Akihiko said to her, the words that had shaken her heart.

After a long pause, she managed to lift her head up to look at him. "I'm sorry, senpai, but would you please…call my name?"

"Hmm?" He made a light sound, slightly perplexed by her sudden request.

"I just… really need to hear you say my name.. _Please?_" She pleaded, her eyes staring at him. Shinjiro just gave her a soft smile. He pressed his forehead to her once more, still as gently.

"Hikaru." He whispered as he looked deep into her eyes. She sighed softly, feeling exotic warmth rising in her heart at the sound of her name being called by him. The way he said her name, his voice, his tone, it brought her great comfort, calming her down.

"Thank you, senpai." She smiled sweetly at him before setting her feet down.

"Hey," Shinjiro said softly as he held on to her, making it impossible for her to get down. This caused her to look at him. "It's your turn, to call my name."

"I always call your name, just with senpai at the end." She argued.

"Yeah, cut that shit. Just my name," he demanded, making Hikaru's face suddenly red. "I'll give you a reward if you do."

"You sure know how to tempt me, don't you?" She teased, giggling as she took a deep breath. A faint smile appeared on her face as she said it. "Shinjiro."

"Good girl." He grinned, pressing his lips to hers as she parted them obediently, inviting his tongue in. She was expecting this, a sweet, passionate kiss from him. They slowly closed their eyes, indulging themselves in each other tastes. Shinjiro's arm around her waist tightened as he deepened the kiss, earning a satisfied moan from the girl on his lap. While Hikaru tilted her head slightly, throwing her arms around his shoulder and leaned her body closer, yearning to feel more of him.

After a while, they finally pulled apart. Shinjiro gently brushed a strand hair out of her face as he set her down on the floor. He got to his feet while Hikaru looked up at him with an innocent gaze.

"Hold me." She demanded charmingly, not letting her eyes off him. Shinjiro just made a chuckle sound in his throat.

"You spoiled brat." He told her, but his arms pulled her into a tight embrace. Hikaru just smiled, burying her face in his chest once more. She felt so calm and so comfortable around him. Being close to him always made her feel that way. He was warm, always so warm and so gentle toward her.

The two of them were too caught up in the moment to notice that they were not alone anymore. A tall, familiar figure was standing at the kitchen entrance, frozen by what he was seeing. His grey eyes widened, the sight of his best friend and the girl that he cared about the most tore his heart apart.

Still in shock, Akihiko couldn't bring himself to do anything but watch in silence as the vision torturing him, slowly eroding his heart.

_Shinji… Hikaru…_

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P.S. I don't know if this'll encourage you guys to review or not, but I think I'll start answering reviews here. Sorry that I didn't do this earlier. I really love to see people reviewing more. It's the reviews that kept me going and writing. So please, if you like the story, please review, at least to let me know that there's someone who like my story. It doesn't have to be long or anything; even a sentence would make me more than happy to see any support from you guys. :3

**pchan**: Yes. I understand how you feel. At first I'm leaning toward Shinji as well, but now I'm just prepared to write some more drama involving both Shinji and Aki. I don't know why but up until now, Shinji looks like he's the good guy who gets all the love (both from the readers and Hikaru). Don't worry, I promise I'll do my best to make you love Aki, since I love Aki as much as Shinji! But I guess Shinji's personality and his kind side (which devoted only to Hikaru/FeMC) make most of us fall for him more than the sweetness of Aki. Anyway, thank you so much for the review! And thank you for reviewing every chapter! I'm so grateful! I'll try to update as quick as possible!

**Vegaaltair**: Hello! I wouldn't mind at all! I'm glad that you like my story and review! Please review again, I love to read them! They're my motivation. Also thank you for the compliments. I'm trying and doing my best to convey character's feelings and emotions, so that the readers could understand why they do such actions. Though my English skills are not that good and my vocabulary is limited, so I'm sorry if it doesn't come out well enough. But I'm glad that you like them. I'll do my best to improve! The drama between these three are just starting, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as the romance. Thank you for reading and reviewing again! I'll try to update ASAP!

**Neristhaed**: Thank you. I'm glad you like my story and Chapter 6. I knew the story didn't process much in Chapter 6 but I tried to put in Aki's thought to show how much he cared for Hikaru as to put himself through that (waiting up for her even he was exhausted). Also I have to give a little hint that Hikaru was quite curious as of why Aki is so nice to her, so that it can lead to this Chapter. After you reading this Chapter, I hope you'll get the clearer idea of how Aki felt for Hikaru and how his kindness had shaken Hikaru's heart (as you can see in this Chapter that Hikaru slipped something when she was with Aki). Drama is just starting so I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well.


	8. Chapter 8 Fury

**Author's Note: **Thank you for continue to read onto Chapter 8! I can't believe I wrote 8 chapters on this story already! It's really better than I imagine since I never knew I could write a story in English for this long and still encouraged and inspired to write more! All this thanks to all your readers' supports and reviews! Thank you so much!  
Okie, back to normal topic. I knew I left you guys hanging at the end of Chapter 7. I only have one sentence for this Chapter. "More drama!" Yes! Even more drama and emotional scenes prepared for you guys in this chapter. I had so much fun writing this story, knowing that there're people who are looking forward to read more. It really inspired me. I can't say thank you enough!  
Minor spoilers for this Chapter, I gotta say that I somehow enjoy writing furious argument scene in this chapter, it's fun to have a strong argument once in a while. Or maybe it's just me loving to have an opportunity to torture some of the characters in the story? I don't know… But I do know that I'm getting quite evil, yes…  
Ah, this is getting out of topic! Well, I won't keep you here any longer then! Here's Chapter 8! Prepare for even more drama, emotions and fury! I hope you all enjoy this Chapter as well as the others!  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

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**Chapter 8 Fury**

It seemed like forever until Akihiko could respond to the vision he saw. He took a sharp breath and decided to turn around and walk out, not intended to let Shinjiro or Hikaru know that he was here and what he'd seen, at least not right now. He was breathing hard in an attempt to calm himself as he made his way upstairs and back to his room. Akihiko shut the door behind him. Leaning his back against the wooden door, he looked up at the ceiling, hands covering his head.

"Arghhhhhh!" He cried out, eyes clenching shut. It was painful, so painful like someone had ripped out his heart and pierced a knife through it. He had never felt like this in his entire life. He couldn't even imagine that this kind of pain exist, he never knew it, never experienced it up until a moment ago.

His hands grabbed onto his silver hair tightly. It hurt, but couldn't compare with the agony he got when he saw Shinjiro and Hikaru together, _embracing each other_. He grabbed it even tighter, as if he was trying to increase his physical pain, so that it could overtook the suffering within his heart. He felt a sharp pain as the wound on the back of his finger started to get worse, the wound he got from punching the wall earlier. However, he felt nothing, nothing at all as the red liquid dripped down his arm. His body went numb, but he couldn't bring himself to care even for the slightest. The mental image of what he recently witnessed just kept coming back to him, tormenting him even further.

_Why…? _He asked himself, knowing full well that he wouldn't get any answer, yet he still bothered to repeat it. _Why does it have to be Shinji, my best friend…? And why…does it have to be Hikaru…the first girl I ever laid eyes upon..? _Akihiko pressed his lips together, restraining the feelings that made him want to tear his soul apart. _Why does it have to be like this..? _He questioned himself, again. Just when he thought…he finally found someone he could ever felt such a strong feeling to protect… Just when he thought she was the one…

_But she __**IS **__the one… _Akihiko reminded himself within his own thought, letting out a long sigh. _Even if she loves another, even if she doesn't have feelings for me, that's not going to change the fact that she is __the one._ He clenched his hands into fists in order to suppress his feeling. No matter how much it hurt him, the bottom line was she was the only person that could make him feel this way. She was the only person he would do anything to protect; to see her smile, even if it cost him his life.

Hands covering his face, Akihiko slowly sunk down to the floor. He kept his knees up so that he could put his arms on them. He then buried his face in one arm, gritting his teeth. All the while, he was clinching his eyes shut, holding back the burning sensation in them. Nothing came out; only sharp breathing could be heard as he sat there in silence, let the same image repeated itself over and over in his head, torturing him to no end.

**1F Dorm Lounge – Evening**

"We're back!" The loud greeting coming from the front door startled Shinjiro and Hikaru a bit. He slowly loosened his embrace.

"I guess the others are back." Hikaru said softly, immediately recognized that loud voice to be Junpei's, no mistake about it.

"I never thought I'd say this, but for once, I'm grateful that idiot is loud," commented Shinjiro, causing the brunette girl to giggle, a smile appeared on her face, knowing that it would be bad if they walked in and see Shinjiro hugging her. "You should go out."

"Yeah," She agreed, pausing for a moment before looking up at him, smiling sweetly. "Thank you for cheering me up, senpai."

"Tch. Just go." He concluded, pushing her out of the kitchen. However, Hikaru was quick enough to catch a sight of him blushing slightly. This made her grinned wider, but obediently walked into the lounge without saying anything about it. She entered the lounge and noticed that it wasn't only Junpei that came back, but Yukari and Fuuka were with him too.

"Hey! Hika-chan!" Junpei greeted her the second he saw her entering the lounge. He was loud, as usual. "We were looking for you! You just disappear immediately after school ended."

"Ah, yeah. I didn't feel well so I came back early," she lied, scratching her head awkwardly. "But I took a nap before, now I'm back to normal." She added before gave a gentle smile to Fuuka, who looked at her with concern.

"Is that so? When I couldn't find you, I thought you went home with someone." Yukari was smiling mischievously as she said it.

"Oh, give it a rest, Yukari." Hikaru rolled her eyes before changing the subject. "I'm thinking about going to Tartarus tonight. It's been a while since we last been there, so how about it?"

"Ooh! Count me in!" As expected, Junpei was the first one to reply. He was quite excited about it. "We haven't fight in days. My body is all stiff! It's time to get some exercise!"

"Gosh, you don't have to be so damn happy about it." Yukari complained, seeing Junpei's reaction made her feel kind of irritated for some reason.

"Come on Yuka-tan! I'm a guy! Fighting is the only way to prove our strength!" Junpei argued. Yukari just made a face.

"Could you please let everyone know, Fuuka?" Hikaru decided to ignore the two of them and turned to talk to her quiet friend.

"I'll do so immediately." She accepted with a nod. "Kirijo-senpai said that she'll be back before the Dark Hour starts, so I'll inform her later."

"Thanks, Fuuka." Hikaru smiled lightly then turned her attention back to Yukari and Junpei, who were still arguing, though Yukari started to beat him up, physically. "Hey! Make sure you have enough energy left for tonight!"

**1F Dorm Lounge – Dark Hour Entrance**

The Dark Hour was approaching as members of S.E.E.S. were getting ready to explore Tartarus. Hikaru came down from her room. She took a quick scan, noticing that everyone was there except for Akihiko and Shinjiro.

"I can't wait to fight!" Junpei blurted out, still as excited as before while Yukari just exhaled out of frustration.

"Where's Sanada-senpai?" Hikaru asked, taking another glance around the lounge just to make sure that she didn't overlook him.

"Oh, he informed me earlier that he wouldn't be able to make it and we should go ahead without him." Fuuka notified her leader, gaining a questioning look from her.

Hikaru stopped for a moment. She thought back on the incident that happened earlier today and pressed her lips together, trying restrain her emotions. _After what happened after school, I guess it'd be better for me not to see him right now… _She told herself before inhaling sharply.

"I guess it can't be helped then." She managed to say that in a stable voice, forcing back the feelings and emotions overflowing within her right now.

"I won't be able to accompany you tonight either." The deep, familiar voice caused the leader of S.E.E.S. to turn her head, only to see Shinjiro approaching them from the kitchen.

"You too, senpai?" Hikaru couldn't help but sound a little disappointed as she said this, though she did quite a good job in hiding her feelings as all members of S.E.E.S. was totally unaware of it, except for Shinjiro himself.

Noticing the disappointment in her voice, a smile appeared on Shinjiro's lips for an instant before his face was back to the usual unreadable expression.

"I have some businesses to attend to." He explained, making it sound like he was telling the whole group, not only to Hikaru.

"If you're still planning to go to Tartarus, we better leave now. The Dark Hour is approaching." Mitsuru informed in a serious voice, resulted in Hikaru letting out a soft sigh.

"We'll see you when we get back." was her reply and her parting words as she went out the front door, disappearing into the darkness. The others were right behind her. Soon, the lounge was empty.

Shinjiro sighed to himself, walking to the corner of the dining area and leaned his back against the cold wall, facing downward. He casted his eyes down to the floor, still remained silent as he heard the sound of footsteps.

"I know you're there, Aki." He said without looking up, making a chuckle sound in his throat. The footsteps were getting louder as a tall figure emerged from the darkness of second floor. Akihiko walked over to the dining room and stopped in front of Shinjiro, keeping a fair distance from him. The expression on his face was unreadable, unlike him.

Akihiko stood firm, saying nothing as he gazed over to his friend, his grey eyes studying him.

"You must have a good reason for calling me here," Shinjiro was the one who broke the silence between them. He still wouldn't meet his friend's gaze as he said it. "What is it that you need to talk to me, when the others are gone?"

A silence fell upon them again as Akihiko stood there, motionless. A heartbeat passed and the room suddenly turned vague green, the Dark Hour had begun. Though neither of them was bothered by the atmosphere, they remained still as if nothing happen. It took the silver haired young man a while to finally spoke.

"Shinji…" Akihiko shifted uneasily. The sound of his name caused Shinjiro to lift his head up, meeting the grey gaze. "What do you think of Hikaru?"

The sudden mention of Hikaru's name made Shinjiro flinch a little. Fortunately, the atmosphere of the Dark Hour prevented Akihiko from catching that reaction.

"She's a good leader." Shinjiro managed to keep his voice even, not breaking the eye contact.

"I didn't mean that." Akihiko countered, his voice was serious. Shinjiro could swear that he had never seen his friend this serious and tense before. "What do _you _think of her?"

"And what does that have to do with you?" He replied, just as strongly.

"Answer me, Shinji!" Akihiko's voice started to rise. He stared impatiently at the man in front of him.

"Cut all this shit! Just spit out what's on your mind, Aki!" Shinjiro yelled, started to lose control as well.

"I'm talking about Hikaru! You like her, don't you!" He shouted, glaring at his friend furiously. "I saw you! This evening, in the kitchen! I saw you hugged her!"

"I was comforting her, you fucking idiot!" Shinjiro snapped back, his brown eyes were full of rage as well. "She came crying to me! What the hell did you think I'm supposed to do!"

"She…cried..?" Akihiko froze at the words. He did catch a sight of her eyes swelling with tears, but it was only an instant as she ran away from him. He didn't expect her to cry because of him. No, he didn't expect that _he_ would be the one that made her cry. "I… made her cry..?"

Shinjiro's eyes widened at the faint voice that came from Akihiko's mouth. When Hikaru came to him this evening, he had no idea what happened. She didn't say a word about it. She just kept crying and he couldn't bring himself to ask. He didn't want to remind her of it, of the thing that made her cry. However, learning the truth that it was Akihiko that made his girl cried so hard. When she came to him, she was trembling, with fear or sadness that he couldn't imagine, and it was his friend who was the cause of it all! His hands clenched into fists automatically, he felt such rage flaring up inside him as he gritted his teeth, trying his best to suppress it.

_I can't! _Shinjiro reminded himself, clenching his fists tighter and dug his nails into his palm in an attempt to use the pain to control his emotions. _I can't say anything… I can't let anyone know about us… _He repeated, gritting his teeth until it started to hurt. _I have to endure it… For her… For Hikaru…_

As if her name had such powerful influence on him, when he thought about her, his anger suddenly cooled down. His raging fury slowly decreased as he thought of her smiling, calling his name, telling him how much he meant to her. Just thinking about her, it calmed him down.

Shinjiro let out a long sigh as he successfully restrained his anger. His eyes turned to focus at Akihiko once more, learning that his friend was still in the state of shock.

"So it was you…" He finally spoke and managed to keep his voice stable. "Who made her cry…"

"I didn't-!" Akihiko suddenly stopped, knowing that it was meaningless to argue at this point. "H-How is she…?"

"She's fine now," Shinjiro replied, slightly surprised by the sudden calm reaction from his best friend. "But she was crying hard when she came to me, as if she was suffering a great deal."

"I-Is that so…" Akihiko mumbled softly, taking in a deep breath.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Aki?" He asked in a stern voice.

"Do you like Hikaru?" Staring at Shinjiro, Akihiko threw the same question at the man in front of him again. But this time Shinjiro was calm, knowing full well of what he should say.

"No." He lied, keeping a straight face as he forced back his real feelings.

"But you hugged her and she was willing to let you hold her." Akihiko argued in a faint voice, still not fully back to his usual self.

"I said I was comforting her," he countered, still using his full attempt to keep his voice even. "Couldn't you at least fuckin' listen to what I told you?" He added, exhaling loudly. "To me, Akane is a leader of S.E.E.S. She's no special than any other members. She sees me as a member of S.E.E.S. and her senpai, despite the fact that I told her countless times that I'm not."

Akihiko looked straight into Shinjiro's eyes as if he was trying to detect even a slight hint in those gaze and voice. Unfortunately, he found nothing. Even so, he felt that his friend was lying. He didn't know about Hikaru, but he did know that Shinjiro cared about Hikaru, more than a normal member would care for their leader.

There was another silence between them as the light in the lounge was back, telling them that the Dark Hour had ended. No one had spoken a word as the atmosphere became even more intense. Akihiko shifted slightly, finally made up his mind.

"I like Hikaru." Akihiko admitted bluntly, causing Shinjiro's eyes to widen for a split second before the unreadable expression on his face was back. "I like her. She's the first and only person who ever made me feel this way." He added, eyes never left Shinjiro's face. "I'll do anything for her to like me. And I won't give up, ever."

"Do whatever you want," Shinjiro sighed as if he didn't care, though he was fighting back the emotions swelling up in his heart. "Like hell I care."

Before Akihiko could respond, the front door suddenly flung open, drawing the attention from the two of them to turn their heads toward the door.

"Quick! Bring her in!" Mitsuru's voice pierced through the silence of the night, followed quickly by Aigis, Fuuka and Yukari. But that wasn't important. What had caught Akihiko's and Shinjiro's attentions was the familiar body lying limp in Aigis's arms, motionless. Her face was pale, a line of red liquid dripping from one side of her head. The sight of this caused both their breaths to freeze in an instant.

"Akane!"

* * *

P.S. When I put "?" after "!", the website automatically delete my "?" sign, making some of my sentences(questions) look weird. I'm sorry if this confuses anyone, but I have no idea how to fix this. I hope you all will understand.  
Also I hope the anger and fury from Akihiko in this chapter give you all the clearer idea on how much he wants Hikaru for himself and how much she means to him. Thank you again for those who review! I can't say thank you enough. Reviews and supports from you guys are what kept me going and inspire me the most. Thank you so much for all supports and love! I won't let you down. I'll do my best in every chapter and I'll keep updating as fast as possible!

Now, onto answering reviews!

**pchan**: I'm so glad you like Chapter 7! I spent quite some time to finish that chapter and tried to make it come out well. Thank you for your continuous support! I can't tell you how much I appreciate you reviewing every chapter! I always look forward to your review when I post a new chapter! And yes, I also noticed that in the actual game, Aki is kinda linked to Mitsuru. That's why in my story, I totally cut that link out. Lols, evil, I know, but in my story, Aki belonged to Hikaru only. This chapter has more drama than the last one. I had fun writing the anger part as well. It's fun to have Aki and Shinji flaming at each other. (I really enjoy writing the arguing scene in this Chapter so much, I don't know why…) I was hoping that the anger and fury give readers the better idea of how much Hikaru means to Aki and how much he wants her for himself. Also, I don't mind you being demanding and I'm taking the responsibility by updating ASAP! I hope you won't be mad at me xD

Ah, about the eyes color. It's very hard to see in the actual P3P (since the graphic is quite small on the eyes part) so I did a research on that and google images of Aki and Shinji. From the official image released by Atlus and according to Atlus's website, Aki really has grey eyes and Shinji has brown ones. But thank you for pointing out though!

**Kusabi**: Thank you for the review! I'm glad that you like it. I had fun writing the sweet romance between Hikaru and Shinjiro, and some sweet scenes of Akihiko as well. Though I gotta tell you that the heartbreaking part is just starting. There'll be more drama, more romance and more heartbreaking scenes later on. (For example, the drama is this chapter.) So please keep on reading, I won't let you down, I promise! I'll try to update as quick as possible. I don't want to keep you guys waiting long!

**Xmidnight-goddessX**: Thank you for your review and I'm happy to see that you like my story. Yeah, I know and I understand why you like Hikaru/Shinji. I have to admit, I was leaning toward Shinji as well, that's why I gave him the advantage of gaining Hikaru's trust and having her fallen for him before Aki. Also from when I play P3P, I got the feelings that Shinji is a very kind person inside. So in this story of mine, I tried to bring out that side of him as much as possible. I hope that you'll like this chapter as well. The drama is just starting, more to come!

**Moonlight and Music**: Hello. Thank you for your support and I really appreciate your review. I did have quite a hard time trying to keep Shinjiro in character since he seems to have this 'bad guy' aura around him in the game. But when I really get to do his Social Link with FeMC, it hit me that he's really kind and gentle. So I tried to write and express that kind side of him in my story as much as possible. I'm so glad that you like the story and the romance I created. I was quite afraid that I let some people down by rating this fiction M and yet there's no love scene. (Though I did my best to make the kissing scenes quite passionate, I hope it came out well.) I really want to flesh out the drama, the relationships and the meanings for these three characters so that the love scenes could be meaningful and the readers would understand why the characters act like that (later on). Another reason is that I really enjoy writing drama scenes and heartbreaking situation. (I do like sweet romance scenes too, but I guess sometimes I love to torture my characters a bit. Evil, I know. xD) I really don't mind the rambling! Really! I love to read how people think of the story. (I guess I also ramble myself, according to this review answer I wrote.) Anyway, thank you for your support! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well and please come and review again! ^^

**yudi-kun**: To be honest, I wouldn't mind it either way :3 You could yell at me all you want, but I'm happy that you like my story and thank you for letting me know that I somehow succeed in making my story moving and emotional. Also, I can't tell you how much I'm happy to hear that you're rooting for Akihiko! So many people were leaning toward Shinjiro (not that I complain), but it's so good to see that I'm able to get someone to like Akihiko as well! This Chapter is kind of full of drama between Akihiko and Shinjiro, I hope that you'll like it. After this Chapter, Akihiko would get more roles and actions, so I hope that you'll be happy to hear this and looking forward to future chapters. I'll try to update as soon as possible. Thank you again for your support! I won't keep you waiting long!

**Shylien7765**: Hey. Thank you for your review and support. I'm so glad that you like my story. And thank for you sharing your opinion with me. I don't mind it, actually I really appreciate reader's opinion. It helps me improve the story. I understand how you feel about Shinjiro and Hikaru. At the end, Shinjiro would have to leave her. According to the game, he'll have to be in coma for the rest of the story. That's why I bring his role and his relationship up first and develop it quite fast. (Since he'll lose the opportunity to do anything after that 'incident'). I'm really happy to see more people going for Akihiko. Don't worry. After this chapter, I'll provide more drama and the relationship between Akihiko and Hikaru would also develop into something more. I can't tell you who'll win her heart in the end. (Since I really haven't decided yet because I love both Aki and Shinji.) But I promise I won't let you down on the relationship part. I kind of hint the connection between Akihiko and Hikaru in Chapter 7 when she slipped something to Akihiko (but didn't get to finish it as she stopped mid-way). And that hint will have more meaning later on in future chapters. I assured you that Aki won't get left out. He'll have his chance to develop the relationship as well. Thank you again for your support and your opinion. I really appreciate it. I'll do my best in future chapters too.


	9. Chapter 9 For you, my Light

**Author's Note: **Of course! Thank you for reading onto Chapter 9! And I have to give a big big big thank you for the reviews! I'm just sooo happy! I can't express my gratitude enough. There's just no words to tell you how happy I am right now except THANK YOU! Thank you so much for all the supports and reviews! I'll do my best and I won't let you down! I promise!  
Also, I have to give my special thanks to **AoKanojo **for her hard work in taking time to edits/points out my grammatical errors! I don't know how I should thank you or repay you enough for what you did. Thank you so much! It really helps me a great deal to improve my writing and my English skills! Also thank you for all your opinions/ideas and everything you've done for me! Without you, I won't be able to plan out my story further. So thank you very much!  
Now, back to normal topic, short briefing for this Chapter. Hmm, I have to say that there are not much actions going on in this Chapter, rather an emotional Chapter, to be precise. I want to express and give you guys a clearer idea on how Aki feels toward Hikaru and a little hint of how she feels toward Aki as well. And this Chapter was it!  
Well, I guess there isn't much to say in this Chapter, so I won't keep you here any longer. Here's Chapter 9! I hope you all will enjoy it as much as the others!  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

* * *

**Chapter 9 For you, my Light**

**1F Dorm Lounge – After the Dark Hour**

"Akane!" Both Akihiko and Shinjiro exclaimed in unison. They rushed to the lounge as Aigis laid Hikaru's body on the couch, surrounded by several pairs of eyes staring at her with concern. Akihiko reached her in an instant and kneeled down beside her motionless body.

"What happened?" He turned to Mitsuru; his face was full of worry. While Shinjiro just kept quiet, despite an urge in his heart to hold Hikaru close to him. He could only stare at her, keeping his feelings inside.

"She passed out." Mitsuru said with a calm face, though there was a hint of worry in her voice.

"We were exploring Tartarus and we got separated." Yukari explained. "While we were trying to regroup, Hikaru encountered a Shadow. She managed to defeat it alone, but when we got to her, she already fainted."

"The wound on her head was probably from that Shadow," Fuuka cut in, providing more info. "I managed to reach Hikaru-chan during the separation and provided support during the fight. I heard her cried out in pain, but she was forced to continue." She paused for a moment, recalling the details. "She was able to withstand the fatal attack and healed herself, but then I lost the connection with her."

"By the time we got there, the Shadow was already defeated and we found her lying on the floor. Luckily there were no other Shadows around. It was near the end of the Dark Hour, so we had Aigis carry her down and exited immediately. We made it out just before the Dark Hour ended and Tartarus transformed back to normal." Mitsuru concluded.

"I'm sorry… I should've cured her, but the Dark Hour was ending so I didn't have time to summon my Persona…" Yukari said in a faint voice. She kept her eyes at her best friend.

"It's not your fault, Takeba." Mitsuru told her in an effort to calm her down. Though Yukari was still worried since Hikaru hadn't woke up.

"Hikaru-san's pulse is steady. Her blood pressure is normal. It seems like she just passed out from the pain and exhaustion." Aigis assured them as she ran a quick scan. "She's just unconscious and the injury on her head is only a light wound. Her condition will be back to normal once she gets a proper aid to the wound and enough rest."

The members of S.E.E.S. let out a soft sigh in relief upon hearing the conditions of their leader. Once done with the examination, Aigis stood up and took a step back, returning to her normal stance next to Koromaru.

"Then, Fuuka and I will help her get back to her room." Yukari offered as Fuuka nodded in agreement. She stood up, but stumbled to the side due to being in Tartarus earlier.

"No. You guys stay here and rest. You just got back from Tartarus, so you all must be tired. I'll take care of her." Akihiko reasoned, noticing the tired expression on other members' faces while Mitsuru pondered for a moment.

"Akihiko is right. Tartarus affects our body as well. We should rest for now," Mitsuru concluded after considered it carefully. "We'll leave her to you, Akihiko."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her." He promised as he bent down and lifted Hikaru into his arms in one fluid motion. He grabbed the first aid kit that Aigis handed to him and made his way upstairs with no problem, disappearing onto the next floor.

All the while, Shinjiro could only watch in silence as Akihiko carried Hikaru in his arms and took her upstairs. He casted his eyes down, gritting his teeth to restrain the feelings within him. With all members of S.E.E.S. presented, he could do nothing but watch as Akihiko took care of his girl. It didn't matter how much he wanted to hold her or how much he wanted to be there and take care of her himself, he couldn't.

Shinjiro clinched his hand into a fist and let out a silent sigh, knowing full well that Hikaru would be alright in Akihiko's hands. _Aki wouldn't hurt her._ He reminded himself. _And from the confession he made earlier, it would be the opposite. He would take care of her as best as he could. Since he likes her… _His hand clenched tighter at this thought.

'_I like Hikaru.'_

'_I like her. She's the first and only person who ever made me feel this way.'_

'_I'll do anything for her to like me. And I won't give up, ever.'_

Shinjiro couldn't help but let out another long sigh as the voices repeated in his head. He closed his eyes, exhaling in defeat. _Tch, I guess that's what really bothers me…_

**Hikaru's room**

Meanwhile, Akihiko made it to the 3rd floor in no time. He entered Hikaru's room and closed the door behind him with his foot before walking to her bed and laid her down on her back, gently. She was still unconscious as Akihiko set the first aid kit on the floor.

Now that he was alone with Hikaru in her room, Akihiko suddenly felt self-conscious for some reason. He took a quick glance around the room, this was the first time he ever seen her room, or been in any girl's room for that matter. Her room was clean and tidy with a touch of girly stuffs lying around. Though he couldn't help but notice that the room kind of filled with Hikaru's characters, meaning that he could tell it was her room just by looking at it.

_Ah! Stop! It's not the time to do this! _Akihiko reminded himself, shaking his head to get his mind straight. He kneeled down beside the bed and opened the first aid kit, starting with cleaning the wound on Hikaru's head and wiping all the blood off, all the while he tried to be as gently as he could. Hurting her was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

The boxer flinched a little when this thought came to his mind. Despite what he claimed to do, he _did _hurt her. He made her cried, even without knowing it. And according to Shinjiro, she suffered a great deal because of him.

Once again, Akihiko found himself shaking his head to get his thoughts off all those things. The most important thing right now was that he had to take care of Hikaru. Still reminding himself, he gently applied some medicine to the wound and put a bandage on top of it. He exhaled softly, putting away the first aid kit and turned his attention back to the girl on the bed.

Akihiko leaned closer, eyes studying Hikaru sleeping face. Her face was still a bit pale from exhaustion and Tartarus, but she looked peaceful in her sleep. He couldn't help but reach his hand out, his fingers trembling slightly as he brushed a strand hair out of her forehead.

"What am I going to do with you…?" He said softly, eyes never left her face. "Only one night… one night I wasn't with you at Tartarus and you went pushing yourself off limit and got hurt…" He trailed off, finger grazing over her bandage tenderly. "You know that I'm worried about you… I told you so many times.. And yet… you never listen to me…" Letting out another sigh, he blinked once. His gaze toward her became even gentler than before. "I guess you never know… how much I care about you… how much you mean to me.." He inhaled sharply. "I guess… you never look at me…" Pausing for a moment, a sad smile appeared on his face. "I always looked at you… and only you.. But you never notice me.. you never look back at me…"

Akihiko shifted to the side, still wearing a bitter smile. "I always thought.. If I'm stronger.. I'll be able to protect anyone…" He mumbled his thoughts aloud, looking as sad as ever. "That's why I tried to be stronger… training and fighting… Still.. I couldn't protect you…" He bit his lower lip, fighting back his emotions. "Only strength is not enough huh…" He stared at her face, his thumb stroking her cheek gently. "It pains me to see you like this… to see you get hurt and suffer.. It hurts so much… that I couldn't be there to save you… to protect you.."

He took a deep breath, both to get his mind straight and to control his feelings. "I couldn't even keep the promise I made to myself… The promised that I would protect you..and that I wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt you… But somehow,_ I_ was the one who hurt you.. I made you cried, made you suffered.. Even though you're so important to me," another paused, followed by a sharp inhale. "I guess that's why you won't look back at me, huh?" He chuckled at himself, hurtfully. His eyes gazed down to the floor and back to Hikaru's face once again. "I know you won't hear me.. Maybe that's one of the reasons I'm able to say this now…" He paused again, pressing his lips together. "You're important to me. I always looked at you… From now on, it'll still be you and only you… You're the only one who could make me feel this way and…" He took another deep breath, his eyes were serious. "And even if you wouldn't look back at me, you'll still be the only one that reflects in my gaze… No one else."

Akihiko pulled the blanket over Hikaru's body and made sure that she's warm and comfortable. He then leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Good night." He whispered, smiling gently as he straightened up, turning to the door and walked away. Though a light tug on his shirt caused him to look back, only to see that it was Hikaru, now lying on her side, still asleep but her hand made a light grab on the bottom of his shirt.

"Don't…" A sound escaped her lips, making Akihiko's eyes to widen a little. "Don't… go…" Another sound left her mouth, though her eyes still closed. Akihiko froze for a moment, his eyes getting wider as he caught the sight of a clear droplet of water forming in one corner of her eye.

"Hikaru…" Akihiko whispered her name. He turned around, looking closely at her face. He wasn't mistaken; there was a tear in her eye.

"Don't…go…" Hikaru repeated the words faintly, her hand gripped tighter at his shirt as that single tear rolled down her nose. "Please…" She murmured under her breath, but Akihiko could hear the sadness and hurtfulness in her voice. Her hand was trembling as her whole body shook slightly.

_She's trembling…and that tear… Is she having a nightmare…?_

It took a moment for Akihiko to respond to that. He finally reached one of his arms back to grab a chair at the desk and pulled it up next to the bed. Sitting down, he then slowly took her tugging hand into his grasp.

"It's okay," he whispered to her, bringing her hand up to his face and kissed it gently, his kind gaze never left her sleeping face. "Don't worry… I won't go anywhere… I'll be here..with you…" He assured her in a warm voice; holding on to her hand, implying that he won't let her go. As if she understood, Hikaru made a satisfied sound in her throat as her body stopped shaking, feeling more relax. Akihiko just chuckled at her respond, stroking her hair with his free hand.

He gave a light squeeze to the hand in his hold from time to time, to assure her that he's still here with her while his grey eyes studying her face. He was happy to be like this, just to be with her. He cupped her hand with both of his, giving his warmth to her, wishing and praying for her to get better.

"Hikaru…" Akihiko mumbled her name again, faintly. "I'll never leave you… I won't let anything happen to you… Just go to sleep.." He muttered to her, holding her hand firmly. "I'll protect you… I'd do anything for you… and only for you… my Hikaru… my Light…"*

*Side Note: Hikaru means Light in Japanese.

That night, Hikaru had a dream, a wonderful dream. She couldn't recall most of it as if it was a blur, but she could remember her hand being held by someone. That hand was so warm, so kind and gentle. It filled the emptiness in her heart. Then she heard a voice. She couldn't tell whose voice it was. The only thing that she remembered was the warmth she felt in her heart upon hearing that voice. The voice was gentle, so caring… _so loving…_

'_Don't worry… I won't go anywhere… I'll be here..with you…'_

_Who was that…? _Hikaru wondered. _I know this voice… I know this touch…this warmth… It's so familiar… _But there was no answer._ I was longing for this…To feel this warmth…_ She trailed off in her mind, drifting off to sleep once again. But this time, a faint smile appeared on her face as she went into a deep slumber.

_So…warm…_

'…_my Hikaru… my Light…'_

* * *

P.S. Sorry for the length, but then again, it's such a perfect moment to end the Chapter. That's why I update rather quicker than usual (to make up for the rather short chapter, I hope you guys will forgive me x3). I played with the meaning of Hikaru's name a bit, since Hikaru can means light or hope in japanese. And Aki said that Hikaru is his light, (implying that she's his hope or the one who guide him through the darkness.) Lols, yeah, it's just word playing/meaning thingy. Nothing special. (I really like the name 'Hikaru' though.)

Now, as always, answering reviews!

**pchan**: Lols. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one that is evil. And you're totally right. Having guys arguing over a girl is just every girl's dream. It made her feel special. (Though Hikaru didn't know in this case, but still…) Right now, I'm trying to make people fall for Aki little by little from his kindness and how he devoted himself to Hikaru. I really hope this Chapter makes you fall for Aki even more. I tried my best to make it emotional to show the readers how much Aki really cares for Hikaru and how he'd do anything for her(even after he saw Hikaru letting Shinji hold her.) As you can see, I'm trying to postpone Shinji's 'incident' as long as possible. I don't want to take him out of the picture yet. It's good to have him and Aki falling for the same girl at once. It provides more drama for me to write. If he's gone, it'll be quite hard to create some drama given that only Aki would have the actions.

And you're welcome about Aki-Mitsuru link! I just repeated some scenes in P3P and it's just irritate me when I talk to Aki in the dorm, he'd talk about Mitsuru most of the time(if she's having problem or feeling down at that moment.) So yeah, I couldn't bare that and I couldn't even bother to make it one-sided(Yes, I just want to cut Mitsuru out of the love triangle/square/circle or whatever it is), so I just keep those two in friend-zone. End of discussion. :3 And I'll try to update as soon as possible!

**Shylien7765**: Ah, I'm glad that you like the fight. I really enjoyed writing Aki and Shinji flaming at each other(since I don't see much of this in any other fanfiction. Even in the game they just argue over small things, it's great to have them arguing over a girl. Pure drama, I'd say.) I'm still not sure which direction I'm going to take this whole story/situation to, but I want to keep the competitive atmosphere for as long as I can. It's easier to write more drama that way. And I don't want to have Shinji go through that 'incident' just yet. Having him around is just fun, and I enjoy writing little-romance-passionate scenes between him and Hikaru. Also, I'm glad to know that you also like me taking Mitsuru out. It's just that I couldn't bother to even make it one-sided so I just keep Aki and Mitsuru in friend-zone. Yes, I'm evil, but hey… It's my story so if I don't like it, I'll take it all out. Lols. Thank you for your support, I'll update ASAP.

**yudi-kun**: Yeah, I kinda figured that some people would be mad at Aki for what he did as well. But after reading this Chapter, I really hope that readers' attitudes toward Aki would lean toward the good side. I tried to make it emotional and to tell the readers how much Aki really cares for Hikaru and how much he'd do anything for her even if she wouldn't love him back. I want to demonstrate that Aki's love is just pure love, that he wouldn't care if Hikaru love another as long as he could see her smile. I know it would be heartbreaking to be Hikaru in this situation, but sometimes I think it would be nice to have two great guys fallen for you, lols. I'm evil, I know. I also understand if you don't know who to root for, even I don't know who to choose yet so I just keep the balance and love triangle as it is. Don't worry, I'll update as soon as I finish. I won't keep you guys waiting long!

**AoKanojo**: I have to thank you again for taking your time to point out my errors. Now let me answer your question about Hikaru's feeling when she slipped something to Aki in Chapter 7. It was my intention to make her feeling unclear as it is right now. Of course I'll explain and give the readers a clearer idea of how she feels later on in future chapters(when it is the right time), but right now, I prefer it to be unclear. Actually I kinda hope that the readers would also get confuse about how she really feel about both guys. I'm pretty sure that at least you have quite clear idea of how she feels toward Shinji, but the real question is what is her feelings toward Akihiko. At this point, I have to say it kind of a mix of everything, guilty, affection, hurt, pain, everything. I was going for the idea that even Hikaru herself doesn't know how she feel toward Akihiko. As she felt comfortable around him as much as she did when she was with Shinji. In this Chapter, I kind of throwing in another hint and she is also somehow 'connected' to Aki as she recognized his warmth and by saying that she had been longing for this. Don't worry, when the time comes, you'll know what she really feel for Aki and Shinji. But right now, I'm making it look confuse on purpose, to let you know that even Hikaru herself still not sure about her own feelings. But I tried to make Shinji and Aki's feelings toward Hikaru quite clear, to balance things up. Well, I hope my rambling didn't confuse you even more. X3 Thank you for your support and I'll update as quick as possible. I won't keep you waiting long :3

**Neko Link**: Thank you! I'm so glad to hear that you like the drama. It took me quite some time to write that scene or even to come up with the idea of them arguing(I spent a lot of time figuring out what they should say and what topic should bring up the conversation.) I know it's heartbreaking to see then fight isn't it? But I'm evil, I'm just enjoy writing these kind of scenes and torture the characters. Lols. Yes, I know I'm evil. But I did my best writing this Chapter and make it emotional so people would get the clearer idea of how much Hikaru means to Aki. I hope you'll like this chapter (or is it even more heartbreaking than the last chapter?) Well, let me know if you like it or not. Thank you for your support and I promise I'll do my best in next chapter as well!

**carrieclamp**: Hello! Thank you for your review! I'm so happy to know that you love my story. Yes, it's getting intense and the drama is just starting! The love triangle is very fun to write as well. Having two best friends fighting over the same girl is just.. fun.(As I told many people/readers before, I'm evil and I like it xD) Even more fun when one of them could show their affection(Aki) but another has to hide their real feelings and pretend as if he doesn't care (Shinji). That points make the story even more interesting, don't you think? Well, I hope you'll find this chapter very emotional (because I tried to make it so.) and I hope you'll enjoy it. Thank you for the kisses and support, I'll do my best and update ASAP!

**Moonlight and Music**: Lols, yes. Two guys fighting over a girl is just great isn't it? (Oh my, why am I sounding so evil in every review answer, lols. But hey, I am evil and it's fun to torture the characters, *evil laughs*) In this Chapter, I hope that you'll get the clearer idea of how much Aki cares for Hikaru and that he'd do anything for her despite what she thinks of him. I also gave a hint that Hikaru is somehow 'linked' to Aki because she recognized his warmth and she said she was longing to feel this. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as much as the other. I don't mind that your review is short or anything, I'm just more than happy to receive your support! And wow, you're a nanny? That's great. It made me so happy to know that you are keeping up with my story even when you're working. xD I promise that I'll do my best in every chapter, so look forward to it! I won't let you down!

**Mihaellawliet**: Hahah. Thank you for your support! I'm glad that you like it. Also I agree that angry Aki is quite charming wasn't he? Oh, so you're Shinji's fan. Well, this chapter is kind of devoted to Aki (forgive me, but Aki really needs some love.) I hope that despite you're ShinjixHikaru fan, you'd still enjoy this chapter (as for the emotional and the sweetness of Aki.) Well, let me know what you think then. Thanks again for reviewing! I'll try to update as quick as possible!

**Deidara'sgirl19**: Thank you for your reviews and support! It made me so happy to see more people reviewing and I'm so glad that you like my story. I understand how you feel, up until Chapter 8, people just felt bad for Aki. He's sweet but mostly Shinji was the one who gets all the love! That's why I wrote this Chapter to convey Aki's feelings toward Hikaru and give a hint for the readers that Hikaru was also 'connected' to Aki (somehow.) Though I had fun and enjoyed writing passionate scenes between Shinji and Hikaru, that's why I always put some of the scenes once in a while even though the Chapter is supposed to be for Aki. Lols. Thank you again for your support! I hope you'll like this (emotional) Chapter as well. :3


	10. Chapter 10 Tainted hands

**Author's Note: **As always, thank you for reading my story and continue to read onto Chapter 10! I have to say "**Thank you**" a million times for A LOT of supports and reviews that all of you gave me! Oh my god, I can't tell you how happy I am right now. I went totally crazy and totally happy to see how much people love my story and how much you guys want me to update! THANK YOU SO MUCH! If there's any word to express my deepest gratitude, I would say it! But now I can't think of one, so thank you again! I love you all so much! I'll do my best in every chapter and I won't let any of you down!  
Now, back to briefing… This chapter is totally opposite of the last one since it's devoted to Shinjiro (who suffered through last chapter of not be able to express his real feelings in front of everyone.) Well, though I gotta say that I kind of torture him a little at the end. *evil laughs* Yup, like I told many of you before. I **am** evil.  
And for all Aki's fans (who I found to be quite a lot according to reviews of past chapters), this chapter probably not the best chapter for you since it's all Shinjiro, but I assure you guys that Aki will resume his major role in next chapter! You have my word!  
Well, I just got back from university so I'm a little tired right now. I also have an early class tomorrow morning so I'll just stop my rambling here. Here's Chapter 10! I hope all of you will enjoy it as much as the others!  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

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**Chapter 10 Tainted hands**

**The Next Day**

**Hikaru's room – Afternoon**

Hikaru started to gain her consciousness as a sharp pain shot through her head. She let out a low groan, bringing her hand up to massage her temple. Her head was a blur as she slowly opened her eyes, and forced to clench them shut again as for the bright light piercing her sight. It was bright out, sunlight coming through the window.

"Argh…" She let out another groan and blinked rapidly in order to get her mind straight. Slowly sitting up, she took a quick glance around, realizing afterward that it was her own room.

_Wha…? _Hikaru questioned mentally, still kept her hand at her temple. Her eyebrows scrunched together into a knot. _My room? How did I…? _She shook her head slightly, recalling the last thing she could remember. _I was in Tartarus… and…_

_*knock knock*_

The knock of the door caused her to jump a bit. She pressed her palm on her heart in an attempt to slow down her own heart rate, didn't realize that she was breathing hard.

"Y-Yes!" She answered and heard the knob turning as the door slowly opened. The familiar scent of spices and cooking oil nuzzled her nostril, automatically notified her who the visitor was.

"So you're finally awake, huh sleepyhead?" Shinjiro scoffed, chuckling softly as he entered the room.

"Shinjiro-senpai…" was all she managed to get out right now. She blinked again, trying to get her senses back. "Good morning…?"

"Look at the sun before you said that. It's way past morning, dumbass. More like afternoon." Another chuckle escaped the male's throat. He closed the door behind him and walked over to her, pushing a chair out of the way in process and sat down on the bed beside her.

"Come in my room and sit on my bed without asking my permission, senpai?" Hikaru teased, gaining a light push on her head as a respond.

"Hmph," he made a low sound, glancing at her with a mischievous smirk. "So even I have to ask, huh?"

"Well, you don't have to if you'll hold me, like right now." She said with a teasing smile, only to get another push on the head. Shinjiro made no other respond as he shifted further into the bed, trying to get a better position. Hikaru just giggled slightly, moving and playing around with her blanket until she could get a comfortable position in his hold, her back facing him.

"Brat," Shinjiro remarked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulled her body close to his so that she could lean her back on his chest, and she did.

"What happened?" Hikaru asked when they were both comfortable. "I remember being in Tartarus and everything went dark."

"You fainted," He started, pausing for a bit to recall the information he got last night. "Takeba and Yamagishi said you guys got separated in Tartarus and you fought a Shadow alone."

"Oh, yeah…" Her eyes widened a little, started to remember the details. "It landed a heavy blow on me, so I used Dia to heal myself and then…" Another pause before she tilted her head to the side. "I finished it with Bufudyne, but it managed to hit me on the head just before it disappeared… And everything just… went black…"

"You wore yourself out." Shinjiro concluded, giving her a scolding look. "Why the hell did you have to hurt yourself on the only night that I couldn't be with you in Tartarus?"

"It's not like I chose to!" She protested, turning her head slightly to glare at him. However, she was forced to freeze when Shinjiro tightened his embrace, holding her close to him. She felt the weight of his head resting on her right shoulder.

"You're a pain," he whispered, causing her to shudder a bit as she felt his hot breath on her neck. "Hurting yourself and getting me all worried. Did you know how much it hurt me when I saw you last night, knowing that I didn't be there to save you?"

"I'm… sorry.." She said in a faint voice, trying her best not to tremble as she felt his breath brushing against her neck once again. While Shinjiro sighed quietly as Akihiko's voices suddenly echoed in his mind when he thought about last night, where he had to watch Akihiko took care of his girl. He pressed his lips together, unfamiliar feelings rising in his heart when he thought of what his best friend had said.

_Aki likes Hikaru… He likes her… _He repeated, clenching his eyes shut as the feelings started to overwhelm him. _He wants her…_ His arms around Hikaru's waist slightly tightened at the thought._ This body… this heart… _Another exhale escaped, he couldn't help but feeling weird sensation in his heart again. The thought of his best friend wanting to have Hikaru, to have his girl, was provoking him. He couldn't stop thinking about it, thinking that Akihiko wanted her as much as he did right now.

Having a hard time forcing back his feelings, Shinjiro slowly brought his mouth up to nibble at her ear, sending another shiver right down her spine.

"S-Sen..pai…!"

He made a low, satisfied sound in his throat upon hearing her trembling voice. He started to lose control. The jealousy he had never experienced before had awakened his hidden desire for Hikaru. He buried his face to her shoulder before tracing his warm tongue along the back of her neck. It caused her to twitch slightly, arching her back at the unfamiliar feelings. He then brought his hand up, taking hold of her face and turned her head back to accept his kiss. His lips pressed against her gently, then more passionate as he sent his tongue in, devouring the sweetness of her mouth. This made Hikaru moaned quietly, automatically responded to his tongue.

Now it's Shinjiro's turn to groan quietly in his throat as the girl responded to his kiss just the way he had taught her before. She was a quick learner indeed, as she was able to make him totally lost in her taste.

"…You're…driving me…crazy…" He murmured to her lips, breaking the kiss and let out a long exhale. While Hikaru couldn't bring herself to respond, she could only look up at him with half-lidded eyes, panting.

Seeing that, it took every bit of energy within him not to push her down and take her right at this instant. He breathed heavily and with one quick motion, he turned her body to face him before bending down to trace his mouth along her jawline and down to her pale neck. His warm tongue grazed over her smooth skin which caused her to shiver at the pleasant sensation that shot through her body. Another moan of pleasure escaped her lips, only to encourage Shinjiro even further. He was totally intoxicated by her scent, her breathing.

"Ah-!" Hikaru's body suddenly tensed up when Shinjiro's tongue went further down her clavicle, spreading the heat everywhere it went. Without knowing it, she brought her hands up and ran her fingers through his hair. Her reaction made Shinjiro's breath grow heavier; his thirst for her was almost unbearable. He lifted his head up, looking deep into those ruby-like eyes.

_I want you…so much… Hikaru…_ He told her through his eyes and gaze, a sharp pain pierced through him as he was unable to actually voice it or let her know his true feelings. _But I can't… _He reminded himself. _She's pure… so pure… while my hands are tainted with unforgivable sin…_ His hands clutched into fists when he realized the reality. _I cannot do this… I'd only make her body…and her heart…become tainted…like mine…_ The last thought caused him to close his eye. He bit his lower lip, forcing back the burning desire inside him.

After a while, Shinjiro finally opened his eyes again. He loosened his hold and got up to his feet, trying to avoid meeting her gaze by turning his back to her.

"J-Just go shower and get change. Come downstairs when you're done, I'll make you something to eat." Shinjiro said, and without looking back, he walked out of her room, shutting the door behind him.

When he was out of the room, Shinjiro leaned his back against the wall and le out another long sigh. He clutched his eyes shut, breathing heavily as he tried to gather his thoughts.

_I can never lose control with her… even for an instant… _He reminded himself, exhaling loudly. _I have no idea…that I want her this much already… _Letting a groan escape from his throat, Shinjiro shook his head to get her out of his mind and decided to make his way downstairs quietly.

Meanwhile, Hikaru wasn't that much different as she still remained silent, totally perplexed by what happened earlier.

_Wow…_ She couldn't help but let out a long sigh, her eyes widened a little. _For a second there… I thought he'd…_ She suddenly halted, shaking her head like mad as dirty thoughts flooded into her mind. _No! Don't think about that-! Argh! Why am I such a pervert!_

Hikaru shook her head violently several times before she could calm down. Letting out a soft sigh, she got up to her feet, grabbing some clothes and walked to the door. Though the sight of her chair in an unusual location made her pause, raising her brows as she remembered Shinjiro pushing it to the side earlier because it was in the way.

_Hmm… _She pondered, tilting her head. _Now that I think of it, that chair was right beside my bed when I woke up…but I always put it right behind my desk… _Slowly walking to the chair, she pushed it back to its usual location. After a while, she couldn't bother to fret over it so much. And with that thought, she headed straight to the girl's bathroom.

Hikaru went downstairs after a nice hot shower, her mood and condition generally better than when she first woke up. The lounge was practically empty except for Koromaru who was taking a nap at his usual spot near the couch. The delicious smell drew her to the kitchen. She poked her head in, only to see that Shinjiro was busy cooking something.

"Smell nice as usual, senpai." She remarked, making her way to the table and sat down. "By the way, where're the others?"

"School." He answered without looking back, still busy with the cooking and frying pan in his hand. "You should've figured that out by yourself, stupid. Just because you're skipping school doesn't mean it's a holiday."

"Heh, you're the one to talk," she teased, throwing him a mischievous smirk. "You skipped school far more than I do. And in my defense, it's not on purpose. I'm physically exhausted!"

Shinjiro made a chuckle sound in his throat as he grabbed a plate beside him, turning his head in Hikaru's direction. "Then don't push yourself over your limit." He said in a stern voice, putting the empty frying pan in the sink. "Stupid brat. How can you be a leader if you don't even know your own limit?"

"Ahhh!" The girl made a long, loud noise, hands covering her ears. "Come on senpai! I don't need a lecture now," she paused for a moment, wearing a teasing smile. "You're sounding like a father."

"Shut up." He countered abruptly, setting down the plate in front of her. On the white clean plate sat a small pile of delicious looking fried rice; steam evaporated from it, making it looked even more delicious. "Hurry up and eat. The others will be back soon."

Hikaru said nothing to that. She just smiled lightly, picking up the chopsticks and started to eat. The exquisite taste slowly spread through her mouth and in no time, all the fried rice on the plate was completely gone. Without giving her a chance, Shinjiro grabbed the plate and headed over to the sink.

By the time Hikaru started to protest or even opened her mouth, the loud voice coming from the lounge totally cut her off.

"We're backkk!" The brunette didn't even need a tiny second to recognize that the voice was Junpei's. She could also hear two similar, but lower volume voices along with it as well. She was still for a moment before glancing toward Shinjiro.

"Just go." He said as if he knew she was concerning about him, though his back was still facing her. "They've been so damn worried about you since last night. Just go out and meet them. Let them know that you're okay."

"Thank you, Shinjiro-senpai!" She accepted, smiling brightly at him. She bowed to show her appreciation before rushing out of the kitchen, leaving Shinjiro smiling faintly at her reaction.

Hikaru entered the lounge in no time. Yukari was the first one to notice; her face lit up immediately as she rushed over to her best friend and gave her a big hug.

"Oh my god, Hikaru! I was so worried!" Yukari said in a very relieved voice, her arms wrapped around her friend in a tight embrace. The words brought a wide grin to Hikaru's face as she looked over to Fuuka, who also looked very relieved.

"Hey now… It's not like I was in a terrible accident or anything.." The leader of S.E.E.S. claimed, patting her friend's shoulder. "I just fainted."

"Did you know how much I was worried about you?" Loosening her embrace, Yukari asked with a serious face. "Now, how are you feeling? Are you still tired or anything? If you are, you should go back to bed. Get another good night rest."

Hikaru made a face. "I just woke up! I'd turn into a fossil if I sleep anymore. Seriously, I really need to move around." She paused for a moment, wearing a faint smile. "Besides, I'm totally fine now. I had a very good sleep last night."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah!" She replied cheerfully, nodding her head to assure her friends that she was fine now. "Sorry for making you guys worried though."

"Not at all. I'm so glad that you're alright now, Hikaru-chan." Fuuka said kindly, giving her a gentle smile.

"She's right! You got me worried sick for you there too! Good to see you're alive and rockin' again, Hika-chan! Yuka-tan was worried about you too you know! She kept talkin' about you all day-" Loud and cheerful comment from Junpei only made Hikaru smiled wider. While Yukari, on the other hand, gave him an elbow on the stomach.

"Shut up, Junpei!" She cut him off, eyes still glaring as if to tell him to be quiet.

"Aww, don't be shy Yuka-tan! It's a good thing you know! Since- Ouch!" Yukari managed to land a powerful smack on his head before he could even finish his sentence. It was followed by several punches and kicks as Junpei dashed around the room in an attempt to dodge the attacks.

The actions caused Hikaru to smile and let out a soft giggle. "I guess we're back to normal, huh?"

"I think so…" Fuuka agreed in a faint voice, a slight worry painted across her face. "Is Junpei-kun going to be okay after this?"

"Ah, don't worry about it." The brunette assured her, waving a hand. "Yukari will get tired eventually, and Junpei will have a few more bruises. It's nothing serious." She said with as she watched the two of them fighting (or more like Yukari beating Junpei up) in silence.

_Yeah… We're back to normal…_

_But why… do I feel like I'm forgetting something…important…?_

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P.S. Yay! The length of my chapter is back to normal range! And yes, I know Aki didn't make his appearance in this chapter, but I did leave a cliffhanger for you guys there! (*little spoilers for next chapter* I know you can guess what did Hikaru forget. There's only one thing, _her dream_.) Okie, before the answering reviews section, I'll give the continued version of my rambling above. Since my university had opened and my role of second year student had started, I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep updating as much as before or not. Though I'm still trying to keep my current speed, I just want to apologize in advance if there'll be any delay in future chapters (which I hope there won't be, I'm trying my best to balance my study and allocate my time to keep writing this story as well.) Yeah, that'll be all for now. Sorry for rambling on and on =w=

Now, onto answering reviews!

**Moonlight and Music**: Ah, thank you for supporting and reviewing even when you're at work (again xD). I'm glad that you like Chapter 9. It took me quite a while to make the whole chapter very very emotional. And also I'm happy that you notice Shinji's feelings as well. (As I made the whole Chapter kinda focused on Aki, so I was afraid if people would miss Shinji's part of the Chapter and his struggling to keep his feelings inside.) And wow! I have to say that it made me very happy to see your review in my inbox as well! (I always get excited when I got a notification saying that I got a new email from FFnet, and I'll always hope that pls pls pls be Story Review Alert! xD). I've never play Kingdom Hearts before (except for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep for PSP) and it's cute you name your laptop! I love Ed. I named mine Lufei (sometimes I just call it Lufe), lols. (Kind of good to know I'm not the only one naming my laptop :3) Thank you for your review! I'll update as quick as I can :3

**codename710**: I'm not sure if you get my message answering your question for not, so I'll say it once more! Thank you for your review! I'm so glad that you like my writing style because, as I said, English is not my first language so I'm kind of having trouble getting used to the language. Thank you again! And about the question regarding how I describe love, please feel free to use my way of describing it in your story! I don't mind at all! (Though I'm not sure which part you're talking about, but anyway!) I'm so flattered that my story could even inspire people to write! I'm so glad to hear that and now I have another reason to keep writing and updating! I want to read it too! Please send me the link when you post it! Thank you for your review! I won't keep you waiting long until the next Chapter!

**Mihaellawliet**: Lols. To be honest, I did have that thought and idea in my head once in a while. I'm pretty sure that I'll write love scenes between Hikaru and Shinji, and even love scenes between Hikaru and Aki as well. But I'm still undecided on which one of them I'd choose for her to end up with in the end. Also, thank you for the information! I've seen Persona 3 Portable fanbook and I saw that Aki's eyes are really brown. (Though I did notice that there's one or two pictures in the fanbook that Aki's eyes look grey rather than brown, that's why I said he has grey eyes in my story.) I'm kind of getting used to thinking of Aki having grey eyes (since it match with his silver hair as well.) so I think that in my story, I'll leave his eyes grey as they are. (I hope that this won't bother you much though, please tell me if it is.) Also, I never knew that Koro-chan is an Akita! I just thought he looked just like Shiba Inu so I decided to use that in my story. Thank you for this piece of information, I'll correct this immediately (in every chapter and I'll keep this in mind when I'm writing future chapters as well.) Thank you again for sharing this info with me :3 It's very helpful, thank you.

**Shylien7765**: Thank you for your support and review again! I'm glad that you like this chapter and understand more about Aki feelings. It's great to know that Aki's feelings could bring a smile to your face. (I was hoping for that too since I tried very hard to make him so sweet and caring, especially in Chapter 9.) Yes, it's a perfect timing for Aki to tend to her as others are tired and Shinji couldn't act according to his real feelings. I also think that having Hikaru being aware of Aki's words and warmth would show the readers that they had kind of 'connection' between them. Not that Hikaru was totally aware of everything Aki had said, but she did hear some of it and she was totally aware of him holding her hand. (Though she didn't know whose it was, not at that moment anyways.) Again, I'm glad you like it! I'll try to update ASAP!

**Deidara'sgirl19**: Ah, I'm glad that you like Chapter 9! I did expect that some readers would feel bad for Shinji as he couldn't do anything but watch as Aki took care of Hikaru. But to be honest, I didn't expect you to get emotional for him more than Aki xD. (Don't get me wrong, it's not that I complain, it's just unexpected.) I think one of the reasons is because I was hoping that people would lean toward Aki after reading this chapter. I guess you really are Shinjiro's fan! No matter what I do I couldn't push you toward Aki's side xD. It's good though! At least I know that you're rooting for Shinji! (Since many people, including me, is torn by the fact that we couldn't pick one of them. I love both Shinji and Aki!). Again, thank you so much for your review and support! It makes me so happy that you like my story! I'll do my best in next chapter too!

**Neko Link**: Yay! I understand how you feel! Lols. I myself got very excited when I got an email saying that it's from FFnet. While I opened my hotmail inbox, I always praying in my mind that 'Review! Review! Please please plsss let it be Story Review Alert!) It brought a wide smile to my face every time I got a review and support from reader! Thank you! Now enough of my rambling, back on the story, I have to say that I'm glad I could make my story/Chapter emotional enough to move the readers. To be honest, Akihiko's feelings toward Hikaru and that he'll only look at her no matter how she feels about him is the main idea I'm trying to convey to the reader! I'm very glad that you capture that point very well! Also I'm happy that more people now realized how sweet and caring Akihiko really is! Yay! Thank you for following my story and update, also thank you for your review! I'll do my best and I won't let you down!

**AoKanojo**: Ah, yeah. I apologized again for the length of Chapter 9. But I hope you found it a perfect moment to end the Chapter! Lols. I have to say, I TOTALLY understand how you feel about Aki in the game! His Rank 9 made me laugh so hard. I know it's a romance and emotional scene and all, but for FeMC to have to tell him what that 'weird' feeling of his was, is just so funny and awkward! (Like, 'oh, you don't know you're in love with me?'. It's doesn't sound romantic, it's kind of sad and awkward.) So yeah, that's why I took the opportunity to change around that a bit, making Aki a little less awkward (or maybe adding the awkwardness into other parts of my story, lols.) Though, I have to point out to you that Aki still haven't said that he 'love' Hikaru yet. Yup, I use 'like' (in Aki's case) and 'fallen for you' (in Shinji's case) on purpose, you'll know why later on. *evil laughs*

Don't worry, Hikaru's feelings will be developed and revealed later on in future chapters. (Though I'm still not sure when or which chapter it'll be, but I keep throwing hints every now and then, so watch out for that, lols.) Well, for the confusion part and how Hikaru didn't realized her own feelings; let me be more clear about that. In this story (according to one of the reader's idea and opinion), I'm trying to convey that Hikaru is not familiar with the concept of love or romance. In other words, she's never been in love or being loved by another (in a romantic way) before, so she's new to all this love and romance stuff. This resulted in her being oblivious to Aki's feelings as well as getting confused and curious by his 'unusal' kindness toward her. This also explains her not knowing and doesn't understand her own feelings. Which I hope it explains her actions when she stopped talking when she realized she slipped something to Aki and had to ran away from him (just to get away from the situation, not that she dislike him or anything.)

Wow, this is getting very long. Sorry for rambling on and on. I have to thank you again for pointing out my (grammatical) errors! I'll try my best to correct them and improve in future chapters as well!

**yudi-kun**: Hahah. Well, I admit that I'm evil though. Sometimes I just want to torture the characters for no reason. And thank you for your support and review. I'm so glad that you like my writing. It's been my concern that English is not my native language so I would have a hard time communicate and convey character's feelings to the readers. I'm happy to know that my writing could get to you.

As for Shinji, yes, you're absolutely right. He's hurt right now, but partially because it was his decision to keep the secret at the first place. Though I gotta say that he had his reasons for doing this, so I wouldn't blame it all on him. He did it because he had to, you'll know soon enough. And yes, his dark/bad guy/mean/blunt and straightforward personalities are what makes fan girls love him. But to be honest, I fell for him because of the kindness and gentle side he's shown to FeMC only rather than his stubborn side. Now, for Aki, I'm so relieved and so glad that you're not mad at him anymore. (That's what I hope for after you read Chapter 9) Oh well, there're still long way to go (or maybe not? I'm still not sure.), so there's still more to look forward to! I'm going to update ASAP! Thank you for your support.

**pchan**: Yay! I'm so happy about that too! It's just so great to know that more people are enjoying my story! But that's not going to change the fact that I'm still looking forward to your review every time I update a new chapter! You're one of my early supporters and I have to say thank you for your continuous support! I couldn't get this far if I didn't receive your support in early chapters! Without you, my story wouldn't be able to get to this point! You have my deepest gratitude! Thank you so much for supporting me up until now. I hope that I'll receive your support from now on too! And yeah! What's with Aki talking about Mitsuru even when he's together with FeMC? (Ah, I guess I'll drop this topic since I totally cut that link already! Hehe. Mitsuru is totally out of the question now.) I'm glad that you like my version of Aki and this chapter as well. I understand about Shinji, but hey, he did get a lot of love in many chapters, so it's Aki's turn now! *laughs* (Just kidding. As you can see, Shinji always get his actions every now and then.)

I have to say I ROFL on your suggesting scene! You have a great imagination! I could totally picture that situation, lols. (Well, Junpei is still Junpei.) It would be funny to have that kind of scene once in a while, but currently the situation is quite serious and emotional, so I totally forgot to put in some humors. Thanks for reminding me of that! Great imagination though! I totally love it! Lols! And I'll try to update as soon as possible! Thanks again for your continuous support! ^^

**Whiteheaven**: Hello! Welcome to my story and thank you for reviewing! I'm glad that you like my story! Lols. I understand your feelings to love both Aki and Shinji. I do too, that's why it's so hard for me to pick one of them to end up with Hikaru in the end. (And that's one of the reasons I still haven't pick yet, they're both great!) It made me so happy that you like my story and my style of writing! I'm trying to keep up with my normal update rate. Mostly I update every 2-3 days because I was on holiday. Now I have my studies to keep me busy, but I'm still trying my best to keep that rate so that all of you won't have to wait long. Anyway, thank you for your support and your review! I'm so glad to see more people enjoying my story and writing! All your supports inspire me to write more! I'll try to update as quick as possible. Don't worry, I don't want to keep you guys waiting long either!

**jory014**: Oh, another new reader! Hello and welcome to my story! Wow, I'm so glad that you like it x3 (Maybe it's not the best out there, but I'm happy to know that you really like it.) Ah, so you're a fan of Aki, lols, I see. Well, welcome again to my love triangle story! If you're Aki's fan, maybe you won't like this chapter so much (since it's kind of devoted to Shinji) but don't worry! Aki will appear and has a significant role in next chapter, I promise! You can look forward to it! I'm also very glad that I could convey character's feelings to you as well. As I told many of my readers before, I'm not an English native speaker, so I'm having quite a hard time choosing the right words and how to express emotions. Thank you for your review and promise! I'll make a promise to you too! I promise to update as soon as possible and I'll do my best in every chapter. I won't let you down! Thank you again for your support!

**tsuki-no-usagi-kaguya-hime**: Wow, long username. (Lols, it's just the first thing that popped into my head when I read your review, so I'm just letting you know.) Thank you for your support and your review! Only that one word is more than enough actually xD I'm so glad that you like my story and I can't tell you how happy I am to know that you're even willing to take time and re-read it! I have to tell you that I myself also re-read EVERY review several times! (And I mean EVERY single one of them, on average of at least 3-4 times per review!) Your review and support is what kept me going and inspire me to write more! Thanks again! I'll update ASAP! I hope that you'll like this chapter also!

**Lesty**: Hello! Welcome yet another new reader! Welcome to my story! Make yourself comfortable! I'm so happy to know that you like my second fanfiction ever in this website! Lols, another Aki's fan! I could totally understand that Chapter 9 drew a lot of Aki's fans to my story, which is good! Though, I'm not sure if you'll like this chapter as much as the last one since the major role on this chapter is Shinjiro. Don't worry though! I assure you that next chapter, Aki will make his appearance and have a very significant role, I give you that! So you could look forward to the next chapter :3 Thank you for reading it many times, I also read every review many many manyyy times as well! Thank you for your wish, support and review! I'll do my best in later chapters too! :3


	11. Chapter 11 Angel's Cry

**Author's Note: **Thank you again for reading my story and continue to read onto Chapter 11! Also, thank you so much for all of your wonderful supports and reviews! I'm so glad and happy! Your reviews and supports are what keep me going and updating at my current speed despite the works and studies at my university. So thank you!  
Also, another minor note for all of you, for this story, Character 1 would always be 'Female Protagonist' as labeled by FFnet. However, for Character 2, I would change around between Akihiko and Shinjiro (Or maybe other characters), based on the content in the latest chapter, **it has nothing to do with the storyline or the ending**. I just want to give you guys a heads up so that you all won't misunderstand that because of me changing the second character labeled at the front of my story, it means that I choose the ending already. And just to be clear, nope, I haven't chosen who Hikaru would end up with in the end, yet.  
Now, to brief you on this chapter, firstly this chapter is a little longer than usual, the longest I've ever written for this story, to be precise. The reason behind it is that this is a _**very**_important chapter and a _**very **_important turn of event. What happened in this chapter is going to have a _significant effect on the whole storyline_. I spend a long time planning and waiting for a perfect moment to introduce this chapter and twist the current situation, and I think the time is now.  
The main character in this chapter is going to be Aki, so 'Yay!' for all your Aki's fans out there; this chapter is for you as I promised in Chapter 10! The story is going to get more and more serious as more drama is going to take place. This chapter is only a start, still a lot more drama to come, so be prepared!  
Okay, I think I've tempted all of you enough, so here is Chapter 11! Dramatic and emotional Chapter, I hope you all would enjoy it as much as I did when I was writing it!  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^  
***Important Note regarding how far this story had progressed in terms of the storyline, **_**to be found at the end of the chapter**_**.***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

* * *

**Chapter 11 Angel's Cry**

**1F Dorm Lounge – Early Evening**

The time passed by quickly. Yukari and Junpei finally stopped arguing and fighting as Yukari managed to deliver quite a number of punches and kicks to Junpei, who was holding his hand up in defeat. The four of them then decided to hang out in the lounge, talking.

"So I guess we won't be goin' to Tartarus tonight huh?" Junpei, who, as Hikaru predicted, received a few more bruises all over his body, complained while rubbing his injuries. He sounded quite disappointed.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, but I don't think my body is up for it yet." Hikaru said with a dry smile, feeling a bit guilty that she was the reason Junpei didn't get to fight and train in Tartarus.

"Don't listen to him, Hikaru. You just recovered, it's better to rest for another day or two." Noticing their leader expression, Yukari comforted her best friend in a worried voice before turning to Junpei with flaming eyes. "And you! Stop making her feel bad! It won't kill you to keep things to yourself sometimes!"

"Uh…" was all Junpei could respond. He glanced over to Hikaru, giving her an apologetic look. "Sorry, Hika-chan. I didn't mean to.."

"Nah, don't worry about it." She cut him off, waving a hand. "Though I gotta say that I didn't remember much about last night," she paused for a moment, hesitating. "Would you guys mind telling me what happen after I fainted?"

Yukari, Fuuka and Junpei looked at each other awkwardly. They were silent for a moment as if trying to sort out what happened and what they should say first. Yukari was the one who decided to start.

"Well.." She tilted her head to the side, staring out to the air. "We rushed to you as soon as we could and found you lying on the ground. The Dark Hour was ending, so Mitsuru-senpai had Aigis carried you down Tartarus and back to the dorm."

"Ah, so I have Aigis to thank for that," Hikaru noted as to herself. "Then?"

"We got back to the dorm and Aigis examined your condition." Fuuka took over with her usual calm voice and expression. "She said you were exhausted and just need to rest."

"So you guys helped carry me up to my room?" Hikaru questioned, but Yukari just shook her head.

"Sanada-senpai was the one who took care of you." She stated with no hint of teasing or mocking whatsoever.

"Yeah! I was quite surprised by that too!" Junpei added and was immediately forced to remain silent with Yukari's glare.

"He seemed to be very worried about you, Hikaru-chan." Fuuka agreed, smiling faintly. "When we got back to the dorm, he rushed toward you as soon as he caught a sight of you."

"He did?" Hikaru asked in surprise; she knew that Akihiko was worried about her, but she didn't expect him to be that anxious. Her lips pressed together for an instant, she then turned to the only guy there. "Um.. Junpei, would you mind giving us a minute? I kinda need to talk to Yukari and Fuuka alone."

"Ah, sure…" Though he was still a bit confused, Junpei eventually agreed, scratching his head. "I'll be upstairs then, see ya girls later." And with that, he took off, disappearing onto the second floor.

Now that there were just girls in the lounge, Hikaru focused her full attention toward her best friend.

"Now, it's easier to talk. I never heard your voice so serious, Yukari. What's on your mind?" She threw a question that was at the top of her head for a while. Her crimson eyes never left her friend's face.

"When you were unconscious last night, Fuuka and I noticed something and we had a little talk." Yukari began; flashing a glance toward the girl mentioned and received an assuring nod in return.

"Surprisingly, we came to the same conclusion." Fuuka added, still sounded as calm as usual.

Yukari took a deep breath, looking at Hikaru in the eyes. "I think Sanada-senpai has feelings for you."

Normally, Hikaru would just roll her eyes and shake those words right off; however, the seriousness of the tone was telling her that two of them were not kidding. Even Fuuka was giving her an assuring gaze.

Freezing for a minute, Hikaru blinked once, then twice. "What?" Her voice rose, as well as her brows. "W-What are you guys talking about?" For some reason, Hikaru found herself stutter at the words.

"He really cares about you, Hikaru-chan." Fuuka told her and the calm expression of her made Hikaru unable to say anything back.

"And I'm not kidding this time around, Hikaru." Said Yukari in a very serious voice, once again making the leader of S.E.E.S. remain quiet with the unusual tone of her voice. "Last night, he never left your room, or even your side for that matter. He said that if you were to wake up, at least you'd see that you weren't alone." She took one deep breath and continued. "He had to leave because we had school, or else I don't think he would leave you alone for even a second until you wake up."

"I saw him this morning when he was leaving your room and heading back to his. He looked a bit tired, like he was staying up all night taking care of you." Fuuka provided more information; while Hikaru could only remain silent, totally fazed by what she was hearing. "He said he had boxing practice today, but he'll be back as soon as possible. He told me and Yukari-chan to come back immediately after school and take care of you, to make sure you're alright."

"I'm telling you.." Yukari repeated, eyes never left her best friend's face. "The way he looks at you and the way he cares for you, he doesn't see you as an underclassman or a team member. It's more than that and you know it!"

"N-No, I don't!" Hikaru denied immediately, waving both of her hands about. "You two are mistaken! It's nothing like that!" She stopped for a moment, trying to think of what she should say. "H-He treated me more like a sister. He once told me that he worried about me, but that's all."

"Sister?" Yukari repeated, eying at their leader with suspicious gaze.

"Yes." She insisted, glad that she managed to keep her voice even. "He usually treats me like one, so it may seem to you guys like he's treating me specially."

"Why won't you just admit it?" Yukari said again, sighing. "It's not like I said that you have to like him or anything. I'm just saying that Sanada-senpai's feeling is real, and I thought you should know."

"Just consider it, Hikaru-chan." Fuuka agreed. "He really cares deeply about you."

Hikaru casted her eyes down at the floor, pressing her lips together before letting out a soft sigh and looked up.

"I think I'll be in my room for a while." She finally said, getting up to her feet. "Thanks for telling me though. I'm sorry I made you all worried." With that, she took off without giving her friends a chance to respond. Yukari just shook her head, exchanging a meaningful glance with Fuuka but decided to let their leader leave in silence. They knew that after the conversation, Hikaru had a lot to think right now and she needed some time alone.

**Hikaru's room**

They were absolutely right. Once Hikaru managed to escape from two of her best friends and made it back to her room, the brunette then let out a long sigh, leaning her back against the door, falling deep in thoughts.

Her ruby-like eyes caught a sight of the chair near her desk and Fuuka's voice suddenly rang through her mind once again, bringing back the curiosity she had when she woke up.

'_I saw him this morning when he was leaving your room and heading back to his. He looked a bit tired, like he was staying up all night taking care of you.'_

Her eyes widened as she came across the fact. Earlier, when she woke up, she found that chair right beside her bed. _So it's true… _She thought to herself. Everything added up now, Akihiko was here with her all night. He never leaves her side, that chair was the proof and evidence of his action.

All the information she received from Fuuka and Yukari earlier then repeated in her head. She tried to shake them off, but there was no luck. It brought back the same question that was in her mind a long time ago, about why Akihiko was being so nice to her. The feelings contradicted within her mind. The truth was, she knew that Akihiko always treated her differently, but she never know why. Somehow, there were times that she thought she understood him, but as it turned out, she didn't.

Hikaru put one hand on her forehead, looking up at the white ceiling. There were so many things she needed to sort out right now. In the mist of thoughts, she felt like she forgot something, something very important. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall what it was about, and that was what frustrated her the most.

The girl pressed her lips together. Despite what was going on right now, she still needed to thank Akihiko for taking care of her last night. She still wasn't sure how he felt about her and she didn't need to know that right now. What important was that last night, he was worried about her and he was the one who stayed up and took care of her all night, so at least she had to show him her gratitude.

Once she finally came to the conclusion of what she should do, Hikaru then sighed deeply before heading straight to her bed and threw her body on the soft material, snuggling to the fluffy pillow.

_I'll just sleep until Akihiko-senpai is back. At least I don't have to deal with any of this until then… _And with that, her consciousness slowly faded into darkness as she fell into a peaceful slumber.

Hikaru woke up after a long while, it wasn't her best nap, but she managed to get some sleep to calm herself down. The leader of S.E.E.S. took only a few breathing before standing up and exited the room. She made her way down the hall only to find Aigis, Koromaru, Yukari and Fuuka sitting on the couch of the living area of 3rd floor. She gave a smile as a greeting.

"Hikaru-san, I am glad to see that you're awake." Aigis was the first one to respond, causing the others to turn their attentions to her as well.

"Hey Aigis, I'm all good now. Sorry to made you worried and thanks for carrying me down Tartarus last night." She gave another bright smile to show her appreciation.

"I'm glad to be able to help you, Hikaru-san." Aigis bowed lightly and also received a light bow from Hikaru as well.

"I think I'll go for a walk, I need some fresh air." She told her teammates, gaining several nods as a reply. "And about the talk we had before," Hikaru said as she turned to face Fuuka and Yukari, a gentle smile appeared on her lips. "Thanks. At least I know who to turn to if I ever have problems about that." She gave one last grin before disappearing downstairs, but she could tell that two of them were smiling back as she left.

**1F Dorm Lounge - Evening**

Hikaru reached the first floor in no time. A sigh of relief escaped her mouth as she caught a sight of a silver haired man sitting on the couch, alone. She approached him, causing Akihiko to turn to her, his face lit up as soon as he saw her face.

"Akane! You're awake! How are you feeling?" He rose to his feet, walking to her. "When I came back I wanted to go and check on you, but Takeba and Yamagishi said that you went back to your room, so I thought you might be asleep. I don't want to bother you, so…" Hikaru couldn't help but smile lightly at his pouring words. Fuuka was right; he really was worried about her.

"I'm all good now, senpai." Akihiko let out a relieved sigh upon hearing that. This only made Hikaru smiled wider. She could feel his worry even with him saying nothing. "I'm going to get some fresh air. Want to come with me?"

"Uh.. Y-Yes! Of course!" Knowing full well what his answer would be, Hikaru headed to the front door and left it open for him. He was blushing lightly as the two of them exited the dorm together.

**Naganaki Shrine**

There was an awkward silence between them as they wandered along the empty street. Hikaru had no destination in mind and somehow her feet led her and Akihiko to the usual place they took Koromaru for a walk. The silenced continued as they climbed up the flight of stairs and stepped into the shrine area.

She sat down on the bench, facing downward while Akihiko just took a seat beside her, still in silence as well. A gentle breeze gently brushed against their skins and ran through their bodies. Hikaru closed her eyes for a second, absorbing the gentle wind blowing pass her hair. It helped her calm down.

"About last night…" She finally broke the silence, glancing up so that she could meet his gaze, only to see him looking at her in wonder. "I heard that you were the one who took care of me, carrying me back to my room, treating my wound…" She paused, breaking the eye contact. "Staying up and being with me all night.."

"A-about that-! I'm sorry if I make you uncomfortable, I-"

"Thank you…" Hikaru cut him off, meeting his eyes once again. This time, she was wearing a warm smile. "I don't know how to repay you enough, but thank you. Thank you for everything you've done for me."

Akihiko could only stare into her eyes, amazed by her words. "Y-You're welcome… I'm..glad that you're alright now…" He blushed light red, looking away to hide his embarrassment. Seeing that, Hikaru just gave him another warm smile.

"I think I also owe you an apology," she smiled shyly, scratching her chin with one finger. "I'm sorry for making you worried, even though you told me to take care of myself." A dry chuckle left her throat. "I guess I'm always causing you more troubles, huh?"

"I don't mind." His sudden reply made Hikaru looked at him, curious. Akihiko met her gaze, his face was serious. "I told you before didn't I? That I am here for you, and I mean it." He took a deep breath, though his eyes never left hers. "Because you're important to me…"

A silence followed after he said those words. Hikaru could feel her own face heating up and was grateful that it was getting dark, so the person in front of her wouldn't see that she was blushing like mad. However, despite what she thought, he could still tell that her face was red.

"Ah.." was all Hikaru managed to reply before turning away from him, embarrassed. "W-We should head back! The others would be worried if we stay out too late!" with that, she got up and tried to make her escape by heading toward the stairs.

"Wait-!" Akihiko was quick enough to respond and reached out to grab her hand. However, the moment his hand touched her, Hikaru felt like all the time around her suddenly halted.

It was the first time she felt the warmth of Akihiko's hand, for every time their hands had touched, Akihiko always had his black leather gloves on. She just noticed it now that he wasn't wearing them tonight. This was the first time she could actually feel the warmth of his palm, or so she thought.

The memories of what she had forgotten suddenly flooded into her mind and she came to realize that she was wrong; it wasn't the first time she had felt the warmth of his hand. She had felt this warmth before, last night, in her dream, or what she thought was a dream. This familiar warmth, holding her hand so firmly, but ever so gently and never let go. She was longing for this, to feel this warmth, this touch. It was this feeling that filled the emptiness in her heart. How could she ever forget this? It's what she was looking for; it was here, all along.

'_Don't worry… I won't go anywhere… I'll be here..with you…'_

'_I'll protect you… I'd do anything for you… and only for you…_

…_my Hikaru… my Light…'_

That warm voices rang through her mind once again. She finally recognized that voice, that tone. Indeed, she actually knew that voice. It was Akihiko's; she was so sure of it this time. The reason she tried to deny his feelings, it was so clear to her now. She kept denying, not him, but herself, realizing that it was wrong to feel this way. That's why she refused to admit her own feelings, and refused to believe that Akihiko thought of her that way.

"Hikaru…" She turned around at the sound of her name, to meet Akihiko's gaze. Her ruby eyes, shimmering upon the starlight were drawing him in. Akihiko froze as he noticed that her gaze toward him had changed. She never looks at him this way before. Inside those eyes, there was one thing, the one and only thing he spent countless nights wishing to see it from her, knowing full well that it would never happened. However, there it was, shining across her eyes so clearly.

"Aki-" Before she knew it, his lips were already on hers. She tried to resist at first, but as soon as she felt that familiar warmth and gentleness of his touch, she couldn't bring herself to deny him any further. His feelings, all the feelings and emotions he had kept inside him all this time transferred to her through this one kiss, one moment they ever connected so strongly.

Just one kiss, one moment, as if everything else around them suddenly came to a pause, such a delight, but it was painful, deep in one heart. Without knowing it, silent tears slowly streaming down her face.

She was crying…

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**P.S. *Important Note regarding the storyline*** After long time of thinking and hesitating, I decided to let you guys know about how far my story is now (compare to the whole storyline) and how I progressed with it so far. Up to this point, 11 Chapters, this story had progressed to about half of the whole storyline. (Or so I think, I'm still not sure how long this story is going to be exactly, so I'm just giving you an approximated length.) As I told many of you before, I haven't made my final decision about the ending yet. Yesterday, I spent the whole day planning out how this story will go and which direction should I take. After a long thinking process and a lot of screaming alone+hitting myself, I've got roughly about 3/4 of the whole story planned out and ready to be written into chapters. I'm not going to spoil you, so I'll leave it there. I really enjoy writing this story, that's why I also don't want it to end too fast. I estimated the length of the story to be around 20 chapters or so, but it could be more, I'm still not sure.

So yeah, the main thing is that now this story has progressed (approximately) to about **half** of the whole storyline/plot. I've got it planned out to **3/4** and the **1/4** leftover is still undecided. I'll keep you guys up to date about how the planning and plotting progress coming along. I promise I'll inform all of you immediately once there is any change or update related to the plot. Thank you for reading my rambling note.

*Personal Note: If you have the song Heartful Cry (Persona 3 FES Soundtrack), play the beginning of the song (just the soft melody part) at the scene/moment where Aki grabbed Hikaru's hand and around 1:28 at the kissing scene. It fits the scene perfectly! (Yup, this chapter's name is slightly inspired by the song's name/melody. I love Persona 3 OST! And Heartful Cry is one of my favorites.)

Now, enough of me rambling, onto answering reviews! =w=

**jory014**: Ah, I'm glad you didn't hate the last Chapter and I know I'm going to sound evil if I said this, but I'm soooo glad you said you hate Akixothers XD! I hate that too! Oh well, if you prefer Aki, then this Chapter is for you! I hope that you'd like it! I spent a lot of time thinking and planning for this chapter, and I think this is the perfect moment to bring forth this scene. (Finally Aki could have the major role! It was all Shinjiro's who get the major actions in previous chapters, but here it is!)

Yeah, I'm glad that you like Chapter 10, I don't have much chance to give Shinji some actions before the 'incident' happen, so I tried to give him as much as I could right now. And also thank you for your support! Second year is definitely harder and more difficult than first year. It's more time consuming and it leaves me with less time to work on my story. But you're right; I'm still hanging in there x3 Well, once again, this Chapter is for Aki's fan so I'm hoping that you'd like it and find it enjoyable. I'll try to update ASAP!

**pchan**: Lols, yeah, I guess it's turning into a pattern or some kind of a routine isn't it? And yet, I'm still following the pattern, hahah. I told you before that I'm trying to keep my current speed, so here I am! I hope that you'd appreciate it x3 Though, I know that you're Shinji's fan right? (Judging from the reaction you told me when you read Chapter 10 and Shinji got some actions.) I'm glad you like it though, it's kind of hard for me to write a passionate scene. Lols, so yeah, I'm happy to see that you enjoyed it. (And let it out, squealing is good, I did it a lot when I was playing through Aki's and Shinji's Social Link!) This Chapter is a major twist on the whole storyline and it'll have a major effect to the future chapters as well. (I'm sure it'll provide a lot more drama to the story than it already is.)

Also, I'm still trying to catch up on my studies and keeping my current update speed. Thank you for your understanding; I'll do my best as always!

**Moonlight and Music**: Thank you for your review! I'm glad to know that you also sense Shinji's love and kindness through his words, that's what I'm trying to do! So glad that I somehow succeeded in doing so. Yeah, I just love drama, maybe that's why I could convey them better than other scenes (not that I'm saying it's that good or something, but better than other kind of scenes, lols.) Though I gotta say I kinda envy you for being able to add humor to your story. I've been trying to do that every now and then but I guess I'm just not good at it. Yeah, so I threw in even more drama in this chapter! Lols.

Ah, Birth By Sleep I have is the Japanese version. My friend went to Japan and bought it back for me as a birthday gift. I haven't finished it yet (because it's in Japanese and I know nothing about Japanese, lols., but it makes a good collection.) So I'm also waiting for the US version to be released! I'm not sure when it'll come out in Thailand though, maybe I need to wait longer than you, lols. And I wanna let you know that I don't mind a rambling review! I hope you won't mind my rambling answer as well xD Thank you for your support, I'll update as soon as I can!

**TifaStrifeinlove**: Ah, welcome new reader! I'm glad that more people is enjoying my story now! And welcome yet another Shinji's fan, lols. I'm not sure if you'll find this Chapter as great as the previous one or not (since it's Aki who got all the attention.) Thank you for your idea, I'm still in deciding mode but I've planned out around ¾ of my story now. The drama and twists are just starting. This chapter is a major twist to the whole storyline as well, so I hope that you'll enjoy it as much as the last one! Thank you for your support and review! I'm really glad to see new reader ^^

P.S. Thank you for looking forward to my update, here it is! And I'll try to update again ASAP!

P.S.S. Aww… Thank you so much for your comment! I hope you'll comment/review this chapter too x3

**Akihikou**: Hello! Welcome! Well, it's good that you're fan of both Aki and Shinji. (But I guess you love Aki a little more right? According to your username xD) Well, if you're leaning toward Aki, then this chapter is for you! Aki finally got a major role and action! About the ending decision, I still haven't decided yet, but I'm working on it. I have my story planned out to around ¾ of the whole story, which I have to say that at this current point, it's nearly half of the storyline. Well, I hope that you'll like this chapter too! Thank you for your support!

**Deidara'sgirl19**: Lols, I did give you that idea in Chapter 10 didn't I? (I guess when I said I was torturing Shinjiro a bit, I'm also torturing some of my readers along the way too huh?) Well, you are a Shinjiro fan, so maybe you won't like this chapter as much as Chapter 10. But I still hope that you would find it enjoyable since it's a very significant event to the whole storyline. Don't worry though, I also love Shinji, so he'll get his roles and actions eventually. (Though I'm still sad that I had to write that 'incident' and Shinji's roles would be reduced dramatically.) Oh well, but I did give Shinji a lot of love in past chapters, so I hope that'll make up for this as well!

Ah, I understand your feelings, but this story is a love triangle and drama, so yeah, Aki is one of my favorite characters so I have to give him major actions as well. I do hate Aki and Mitsuru, so I just cut that link out of my story. Also I don't really like Ken, so yeah… as you can see, Aki and Shinji are the major contestants here. Lols.

**Mihaellawliet**: Ah, I didn't know that you don't like the fact that his eyes match his hair. Sorry again if it bothers you though, I'll try to use lower the mentioning of his eyes color to the minimum then xD Thank you for your opinion, I don't mind it at all. Lols, the love scene is coming up, I can't tell you which chapter it's going to be but according to the storyline I've planned out, I guess it won't be so long (I think?). So yeah, I'll do my best and try not to let you down! I promise :3

**xAvaAdore**: Wow, you read them all in one shot? Thank you for your support and review! It made me so glad to know that you like my story. Also I'm happy to see that you're interested in drama as well. Oh well, then I think you'll find this chapter quite enjoyable since I threw in another drama scene. This chapter contains a significant drama that'll affect the whole story as well, I hope that you'll like it! Thank you again for your review and support!

**Whiteheaven**: *Evil laughs* My my, you sure have sharp eyes indeed. (I thought people usually skipped or overlook that part and the fact that Hikaru called herself and Aki as lovers in first chapter since it's a very minor detail, but it's good to see that someone caught that hint as well.) You're absolutely right, more drama is coming, and this chapter is also one of them! I gotta tell you that what happened in this chapter is going to have major effect/twists on future chapters and the whole storyline. You could look forward to it! (I'm actually looking forward to see if you'll notice/catch any other hints I hide later on as well, lols, this is going to be fun.) As always, thank you for your review and support!

**anonymous**: Oh, so you finish playing P3P already! Great! At least you won't have to worry about getting spoiled from reading my story, lols. I'm glad. Also I'm happy to know that you like my story! Thank you for your review and support. I'll try to update as quick as possible! I hope you'll enjoy this dramatic chapter as well!


	12. Chapter 11:2 Hurtful Cry

***Important Note: I created a poll regarding the ultimate couple and the ending of this story. **_**The poll can be found on my profile**_**, please take them for me. I really want to know what you guys think and it'll help me make the decision about the ending as well. **_**Please take them**_**. Thank you.*  
Author's Note: **Thank you for reading onto this Chapter! First, I gotta say that this is not really Chapter 12, given that the length is quite short. It's more like an extra chapter to add more details and give you all clearer idea of how Hikaru's feelings. That's why I called it Chapter 11.2, so it's an additional chapter, it is quite short, I admitted. But it is an emotional and quite important chapter as well. Forgive me about the short length, but that's why I update this extra chapter a little earlier than my normal updating speed. I hope you all will enjoy it.  
Well, since it's an extra chapter, so I don't think it'll need a brief or summary. I'll just say that it is very emotional (or I hope that it would be). I also hope that it'll make all of you understand Hikaru better as well.  
Also, I have to apologize in advance if there are a lot of misspelled words or errors since I don't have time to proof-read before posting it. (Because I have to post it earlier than usual.) But I'll proof-read this chapter as soon as I have time. So please forgive me for rushing.  
So yeah, here is Chapter 11.2! Extra/Additional Chapter to Chapter 11! I hope you'll like it!  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

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**Chapter 11.2 Hurtful Cry**

Silent tears flowed down Hikaru's pale cheeks. Realizing the wetness formed between the touch, Akihiko slowly pulled back, his eyes widened as he saw the girl in front of him looking straight into his eyes, her gaze full with tears.

She looked so sad, the saddest he ever seen her, but somehow, under the soft moonlight, the tears made her look even more beautiful. Akihiko felt his heart skipped a beat.

"Hi..karu…" Her name escaped his mouth faintly. Hikaru took a step back; her crimson eyes never left his face. Her gaze saddened as she looked at him painfully. The expression on her face made him so torn, as if something was torturing her. But before he could say anything more, she just pressed her lips together as to restrain her feelings and shook her head.

"I'm sorry…" was all she managed to force out. Her lips trembled as she took another step back. "I'm really sorry…" Repeating in a hurtful voice, Hikaru ran away from him, again. However, this time, it hurt much more than last time.

Akihiko could only stay still, unable to respond or run after her. He brought his hand up; his fingertip touched his lips gently. The feel of her soft lips against his own still imprinted within him. He didn't know what he was thinking, but the second he caught the sight of _that_, the only thing he wished to see it from her, painted across her ruby eyes, he just lost it. Any chains or bindings that were holding him back all that time just fell apart, releasing him from his own seal. Every feelings and emotions he tried to force them back and kept inside overwhelmed him. The next thing he knew, his lips already pressed to hers.

It was _wonderful_. To felt her lips and connected to her so passionately, it made his head go totally white, just plain white. His mind was blank, he couldn't think or do anything except absorbing the sweet sensation he had never felt before. It was like a dream, a dream that he had experienced countless of times before and was always brought back to the reality once he woke up. To actually get to kiss Hikaru, the girl of his dream, it was absolutely perfect. It was everything he ever waited for, just right there, within his grasp. Everything around him just stopped, he didn't care anymore. He'd give up anything just to hold on to this moment, making it last forever.

But of course, he couldn't do that. The feel of warm tears touching his face snapped him back to the reality. He opened his eyes just to see her looked deep into his gaze, tear streaming down her angelic face.

Akihiko flinched at the thought, his hand clinched into a fist. Once again, he made her cried. Even he promised himself over and over again that he'd never let anything happen to her, he was the one who hurt her the most, with his own hands.

The silver haired youth clenched his eyes shut, facing upward. With his eyes closed, there was the only thing he could see. The one and only thing that always shined brightly in his heart, whenever he was asleep or awake.

It was her, always had and always would be…

His light… His hope…

_Hikaru…_

**? – Evening**

Meanwhile, Hikaru ran as fast as her feet would allow. She had no destination in mind, and to be honest, she didn't even care. It didn't matter where; it was like last time she was running so fast like this. She just needed to get away, from her own feelings and from a person who had shaken her heart.

Though, unlike last time, her tears didn't dry up as fast, on the other hand, they were overflowing. She couldn't recall the last time she had cried this hard; maybe it was ten years ago, when she lost both of her parents. Still, this was different, this time; she was the cause of it all. She was the one who couldn't control her feelings and maybe, she deserved it.

Her moving feet started to slow down, coming to a stop. It was already night time and she was alone, wandering along the empty road which leads to somewhere she couldn't recall at the moment. She couldn't bring herself to care as she leaned her body against the concrete wall, breathing heavily as the result of running madly.

Hikaru was grateful that there was no one around. Actually, she wanted to go back to the dorm, shut herself in her room and cried her heart out. However, she was aware that she couldn't return to the dorm like this. There was no way she could let any of S.E.E.S. members saw her at her current state, face full with tears and so weak.

Leader of S.E.E.S. turned around and leaned her back against the hard surface of the wall. Wind blew pass her body, it was cold, but at the time, Hikaru felt nothing. She didn't feel cold, or even feel anything for that matter. She looked up at the dark sky, so many stars sparkling brightly around the moon. Somehow, the sight of it caused her tears to swell up even more. The moon reminded her of Shinjiro, and the thought of him smiling at her kindly reminded her of what she did.

Hikaru cried out, countless drops of tear falling to the ground as she did so. Her hand gripped tightly on her left chest, above her heart. It didn't matter what she did, she couldn't stop the pain or the tears rolling down her face.

_Why…! _Her fingers dug into her flesh through the shirt she was wearing as if she was trying to hurt herself. _Why am I feeling like this? God dammit! Why! _She cursed mentally, biting down on her lip. Never in her entire life had she hated herself this much before. _This feeling… This heart… _She bit her lower lip harder, succeeded in drawing red liquid oozing out from it. The bitter taste of her blood and the pain throbbing from the newly created wound was reminding her that this was not a dream. It was real, the feeling, everything.

Hikaru clenched her free hand into a fist. She now realized that what she was longing for in her dream was _his_ touch, _Akihiko's_ touch and his warmth. It always had been, but she kept denying it. She didn't want to admit that there was a part of her that wanted to be with him. There was a part, _-no not a part-_, _half _of her heart, which belonged to Akihiko's. It was like that, all along. No matter how hard she refused or denied it, it didn't change the fact that she _also _wanted to be with him.

"Shinjiro…" His name came out of her lips without her knowing it. Her whole body trembled harder when his face flashed into her mind. Shinjiro was kind to her. He opened up to her and let her in, trusting her and only her alone.

_He trusts me… _She thought to herself, tears streaming down her face. _Shinjiro-senpai trusts me, cares for me… and believes in me… _She sobbed, eyes clenching shut, but the tears wouldn't stop. _But I betrayed him, even though he is so kind to me… I…hate it… I hate this…! _Her grip on her left chest tightened, her fingers dug in deeper as if she wanted to reach her heart. _This body, this heart…I HATE IT!_

Hikaru screamed again, allowing her tortured cry to pierced through the silent street. It was a sharp, painful cry.

Deep inside her heart, the deepest part of it, she knew that this was going to happen, but she couldn't do anything about it. She never knows love, or had ever been in love with anyone before. She didn't know what this feeling was, even now, she still wasn't sure if it was love or not.

She blamed herself and her own heart for all this. Everything was so clear to her now; she was just trying to run away from her own feeling and from Akihiko. Subconsciously, she knew that her feeling for Akihiko would get stronger if she gets any closer to him, that's why she sealed her feelings away and lied to herself that Akihiko didn't see her that way. But realizing her own feelings now didn't help her in anyway, it just making it worse. Maybe it would have been better if she didn't realize anything at all and all those feelings and emotions were still sealed shut. Right now, she didn't know what to do, and she couldn't tell anyone.

Yukari's and Fuuka's faces suddenly came to her mind. She wanted to tell them, to let it all out. She felt so weak, right now; she just wanted a shoulder to cry on. Knowing it was impossible, Hikaru let out a faint sob. She couldn't tell anyone about her current situation. She could tell Yukari and Fuuka about Akihiko, but they wouldn't totally understand her since she couldn't tell them about what happened between her and Shinjiro.

Hikaru slowly sunk down to the ground, as if all her energy had poured out along with her tears. She couldn't bring herself to stand up. Guilt, shame, sadness, pain, all kinds of emotions was overtaking her.

She had betrayed Shinjiro, the first person she ever felt such a strong affection toward… She had betrayed the most important person in her life…

The leader of S.E.E.S. casted her eyes down to the ground, lowering her head as countless drops of tear falling down on the hard surface of the road. Right now, she just wanted someone… Someone she could turn to… A shoulder to cry on… She couldn't deal with all this alone…She just couldn't…

Hikaru felt her consciousness slowly slipping away. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Barely keeping her senses, she thought of a certain person she wanted to meet, to share all her feelings and knew that he'd be there for her, always, as he promised.

Just before her consciousness completely faded into darkness, a certain place appeared in her mind… A certain place, where she could meet that certain person…

The Velvet Room…

* * *

P.S. Well, since I'm in quite a hurry, I'll just remind you to take a poll on my profile. Thank you :3

Now, onto answering review!

**jory014**: Ah, it's good to know that you don't hate Shinji and Mshe pairing. Though I gotta say I'm surprised to know that you hate Shinji's hair. xD I don't like the fact that he always have his beanie on though, I wanna see his hair, lols.

You used to write? Aww.. you said it as if you're not writing anymore. Well, not that it's my business or anything, but I'd love read your story though. Oh well.. I guess I missed my chance? Anyway, thank you for your review and support. I'm sorry about the length of the chapter, but as I said in Author's Note, it's not actually a main chapter, kind of like extra adding to Chapter 11, so yeah. Sorry about the misspelled words too, I guess this chapter would have even more misspelled words given that I haven't proof-read it yet. (I just want to update faster than usual, due to the length.)

To answer your question, yes, Chapter 1 did have Hikaru referred to Aki and herself as lovers. Well, maybe it'll be like that till the end, or maybe not. I don't want to spoil you so I guess you'll have to wait and find out in future chapters xD And about the song, I never heard of it and don't really have time to see the video yet. But I promise you that I'll look it up in YouTube and listen to the song as well :3

Thank you again for your support, I'll update as soon as possible.

**Whiteheaven**: I'm so glad you like the chapter. I'm sorry if this chapter is a little too short, but as I said above on Author's Note. This is not actually a real chapter or anything, more like an extra chapter in between to add more details of Hikaru's feelings to Chapter 11 and lead to what will happen in Chapter 12. I'm also very happy to know that you think Hikaru's realizing her feelings is a good-timing. I hope this Chapter gives you even clearer idea of what Hikaru really feel for Aki. And wow, you have a sharp sense at finding small hints I hid around the chapters. Lols, I really hope to see if you'll be able to detect even more hints later on as well. (I'm so excited, lols.)

And I won't answer or say anything about Shinji and future. You'll have to wait and find out later, lols. I just don't want to spoil you. As always, thank you for your review and support! I'm glad I got my plot/storyline all planned too. I hope you'll find this chapter enjoyable as well!

**pchan17**: Oh, hello! Lols, so you've registered! Great! Hahah, Chapter 11 is just kinda bitter-sweet isn't it? Oh, so now I'm sure that you're fan of both Shinji and Aki! (I have to be honest, I am too, lols. That's why I'm writing this love triangle story.) It made me go 'lols' at your description of your reaction between Aki scenes and Shinji scenes. I hope that this chapter would give you a clearer idea on how Hikaru is feeling. (As many of the readers said I described Aki's and Shinji's feelings toward Hikaru very clear, but keep Hikaru's feeling quite vague. Now I hope it is clearer, somehow.) And I'm glad you like the soundtrack, I really love Heartful Cry. Again, this chapter's name is kinda the continue of Chapter 11's name. Hehe, I'm not going to spoil you on Shinji's part of the story, so you'll have to wait and find out later! Thank you for your support ^^

**Mihaellawliet**: Lols. Hmm… about your request, I'm having a very serious thought about it.. *laughs* Well, I have to say that I'm specialized on erotic/love scenes when I write stories in Thai, but when it comes to English, love and passionate scenes are totally my weaknesses! I've only written one chapter(kind of like one shot) lemon for Harvest Moon but that was it. I'm not sure if I'll be able to write love scenes in English that good, so please don't get your hopes up xD But I assure you that I'll try my best to make it good! Not guarantee, but I'll try! Well, this Chapter is kinda emotional and focused mostly on Hikaru, since I haven't described her feeling a lot in past chapters. So I guess it would be good to give you guys more idea on how she feels right now. (I gotta say, I totally went 'ROFL' at you saying Shinji needs to suck it up and EXPRESS, hahaha) Thank you for your review and support. I'm sorry about the length, but promise I'll update ASAP!

**Deidara'sgirl19**: Hahah, if you find Chapter 11 emotional, I think you'll find this Chapter even more emotional than the last one. (Since I made it so that the readers could understand Hikaru more.) Well, Shinji still didn't make his appearance in this chapter, but anyway! You know I still love him, so he'll make more appearance later on! Hehe, I think after reading this Chapter, it would answer part of your question about who Hikaru really loves. Don't worry, when I'm writing my story I also get very emotional and thinking into my plot as if I'm really in that situation. I'm sorry for the short length though, but that's why I'm updating earlier than usual! I hope you could forgive me xD Thank you so much for your support!

P.S. Yup, I also hate Takaya. Well, on Shinjiro's action on saving Ken, I find that it's just his character. Shinji is a kind person inside so no way he could stand by and let Ken get shot. That's why I love Shinji as much as Aki despite his 'mean/blunt/bad guy/straightforward' personality xD

**Lesty**: Thank you for your support and review! I'm glad you like Chapter 11. Well, there's not much going on in this chapter and it is kinda focused on Hikaru's feelings. So I hope you'll still find it enjoyable despite lack of physical actions. Thank you for your support again!

P.S. Thank you for forcing your friend to read my story as well xD

**Senna**: Oh, welcome! I'm not sure if you read up to this chapter already or not, but I'm going to answer your review anyway! xD Well, I'm glad that you like my story. This chapter is very very emotional as well, so I hope that you'll like it. Also I'm happy to know that you support both Shinji and Aki, just like me x3 Thank you for your review!

**Akihikou**: Ah, yeah. I totally understand your feeling. I love both of them. Your sense is right though, I gotta say. I'm providing more drama in future chapters so you could look forward to it. For this chapter, it's kinda focus on Hikaru and her feelings, so I hope you'll be able to enjoy it as well!

**codename710**: I'm so glad that you're looking forward to my update. Here it is! I'm sorry about the length though, but that's why I'm updating a little earlier than usual, hope you won't be mad at me about the short length x3 And I'm happy to know that you like the BGM as well! I love Heartful Cry, it's one of my favorite Persona 3 OST.

Well, this is not really Chapter 12, it's kind of an extra detail to add to Chapter 11, that's why I called it Chapter 11.2, Lols. Well, after reading this chapter I hope you could let me know if your guess about the reason of Hikaru crying is right or not.

Ah, okie, Good to know about your fanfic. Well, I'm looking forward to read it. Don't forget to tell me when you finish and post it :3


	13. Chapter 12 Answer

***Special Note: Thank you very much for those who participate in the poll on my profile. I really appreciate your opinion. For those who haven't vote yet, **_**please do**_**. It'll be very helpful for me, thank you.*  
Author's Note: **As always, thank you so much for reading onto Chapter 12! Also thank you for all your continuous support and welcome to every new reader out there! I'm so grateful to see more people enjoying my story now. Thank you for all your reviews as well, I've read all of them and several times! They're my power, thank you so much for letting me know you like my story.  
Now, to brief you all on this chapter, I finally get a chance to bring out another important character from P3P. Theodore! Though I gotta say, as much as I'm excited and happy to write about him and bring him into my story, it is so _**freakin'**_ hard to keep him in character! (Sorry for my rudeness, I just have to let it out.)  
OMG! In every scene I looked back, every single scene that my FeMC encountered him, he always speaks in a very sophisticated manner and using all these big words! It is just so damn hard for a person (especially one that is not a native English speaker, like myself) to write up his conversation! In order to complete this chapter, I was using Thesaurus(dot)com like crazy! Searching and looking up a very academic-like words he used and tried to keep him in character. That what took me the longest. My my, as much as I love you Theo, I hate having to write your way of talking = = Well, this is the best I came up with(after I spent so much time on Thesaurus(dot)com, please forgive me for any errors, I'm exhausted.  
Well, enough of me rambling, I'll continue my little rambling after this chapter. Feel free to overlook it if you're bored of me going on and on. Anyway! Here's Chapter 12! I hope you all will enjoy it!  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

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**Chapter 12 Answer**

**? – ?**

Hikaru started to regain her consciousness. She didn't know how much time had passed, but somehow she found herself lying on the floor of a familiar place, a place that flashed to her mind just before she lost all her senses.

_This place is… _She thought to herself, taking a glance around as she stood up. It was the same feeling she had every time she stepped into this room. It was an exotic and mysterious sensation.

"This is…the Velvet Room…?" She whispered softly, massaging her temple.

"You are correct." The deep, but courteous voice caused Hikaru to jump a bit. She turned around, crimson eyes widened as she caught a sight of a familiar pair of golden eyes looking at her kindly. The owner of the gaze was a tall man with graceful, yet handsome pale face and white delicate hair like the first snow, dressed in blue and black shaded uniform with white gloves on both hands.

"Theo…" His name escaped her lips, bringing a light smile upon Theodore's face. He always felt a rush of happiness whenever she addressed him like that instead of his full name. It was the sign of closeness between her and himself, which he was very grateful for.

"It had been quite some time since you last paid a visit here, Hikaru-sama." He said, bowed down slightly as a greeting.

"W-Wait.. How am I here?" Hikaru wondered, looking confused as she tried to gather her thoughts.

"It was your deepest desire before you lost consciousness." Theodore informed her, his face hadn't changed one bit. "My master summoned you here to grant that strong desire of yours."

She couldn't help but arched up an eyebrow before looking around; there was no sign of Igor. "I don't see him."

"Ah, that." Somehow, Theodore blushed lightly as he said it. "What you truly desire was to meet me. It was a very strong desire indeed. That is why my master feels that it would be better for you to meet me alone."

Hikaru suddenly froze as she started to recall what happened and why she wanted to see him so badly. Her face was turning pale and she felt a burning sensation in her eyes. The Velvet Room's assistant caught her reaction and approached her slowly, taking her hand into his grasp.

"If you were to need me, I will be there no matter what stands in my way. That was my promise." He said in a deep, meaningful voice, looking straight into her eyes. "I am here now, Hikaru-sama, as I promise."

Hikaru felt warm tears swelling up in her eyes and streaming down her face. He was here now, her friend, her precious friend.

"Theo!" She cried out, falling into his arms as he embraced her gently. The tears that she thought were already dried out started to overflow again, and she couldn't stop them. The leader of S.E.E.S. sobbed, her whole body trembling hard. "I hate this! I hate myself! Theo!"

Hikaru shouted against his chest, hands clenching into fists but she wouldn't stop shaking. She cringed as shame, guilt and sadness washed over her body once again, making it quiver even harder. Still keeping her head low and her whole body cringed within his grasp, she screamed out in pain, not physical, but the sharp pain that was torturing her heart. Droplets of water flowed down her ruby eyes indefinitely and she let out yet another hurtful cry. During that time, Theodore didn't even try to utter a word, he just stood there in silence and let her released all her emotions onto him.

Hikaru finally calmed down after a long while and numerous drops of tear poured out of her. She inhaled deeply, using the back of her hand to wipe the remaining tears off her face as she took a step back from the warm embrace of Theodore.

"I'm sorry, my tears are all over your cloth now." She managed to force out a dry laugh, but the other party just shook his head.

"That is an insignificant matter." He stated in his usual calm voice and expression, slowly released her from his hold. Theodore took her hand, gently guided her to a chair and seated her down. "Now please tell me, what is it that tormenting your mind?"

"If I tell you, you'll hate me. That's for sure." She forced out another painful laugh.

"Nonsense." White haired man denied immediately, causing the brunette to look up at him. "You could commit the most tremendous, dreadful sin of eternity, my sentiment shall never prevail. My attitude toward you will not waver, you have my word."

"Heh." Those earnest words from him, no matter how formal or academic they might sounded, were able to brought a smile upon Hikaru's pale face, the real smile she didn't have on for quite a while. "Ah… I don't know where to start.."

Hikaru let out a soft sigh, arranging everything in her head and began to speak. She went back to the first time she met Shinjiro and how she was soon attracted to him, eventually fell for him and how she had to keep everything a secret, for Shinjiro's sake. The brunette also explained her hidden feelings for Akihiko, about how she knew that deep in her heart, there was a place she kept all her feelings and emotions sealed shut. Her voice trembled a bit as she told him about what happened recently. All the while, Theodore just remained still and listened in silence, taking every bit of information in carefully.

"And now.. I just…don't know what I should do anymore.." Hikaru finally concluded, recalling any minor details she might have missed and soon realized that there was none. Her eyes then flicked onto the man clad in blue, studying his face. "I'm a terrible person, aren't I Theo?"

"Of course not." Theodore finally spoke after remaining quiet for several minutes. The expression on his face didn't change at all. "It is a common phenomenon in your world for one's heart to be captured by more than one person." He spoke in a respectful manner, keeping his golden gaze on the girl in front of him. "Even more so, given that you are unfamiliar with this kind of sensation. Not that I am an expert on this area myself."

"But even so…" She protested, opened her mouth to say something but ended up closing them again.

"I sense that there is still a substantial reason that caused such an agony in your heart, Hikaru-sama." The leader of S.E.E.S. let out a soft sigh in defeat. She totally forgot how sharp her friend senses were when it came to her emotion.

"It's just…" She paused for a moment, hesitating. "I mean I know Akihiko-senpai is a great guy… He's so kind..and caring. He always be there for me whenever I needed him but…" Another pause, followed by a sharp inhale. "I can't get it out of my mind that I betrayed Shinjiro-senpai… I know they're both very great guys.. But I don't understand…why right now…I feel like Shinjiro-senpai is the most important person to me…and I betrayed him…"

"Humans tend to get attracted to what they are after rather than what presented to them. According to your world, that is."

"Huh?" Hikaru tilted her head at his words, confused.

"What I meant was, people in your world are more likely to see the importance of what they are trying to get more than what they had already acquired." Theodore explained, still keeping his usual deep and polite tone.

The brunette pondered over the statement, but made no other respond. She was aware that her friend was right, absolutely right, so she decided to keep quiet. Theodore took the opportunity to speak again.

"To be frank, if I may…" He waited until he received an approving nod from the girl in front of him, then continued. "In your case, I believe that you are drawn to that man, Shinjiro, as you referred, simply because you are the one running after him and wanted to understand more of the feelings he chose to keep inside." He took a pause, arranging the words. "On the contrary, another man, I believed you called him Akihiko, is being true to his feelings. He chose to express his affection toward you in direct manners, whether it is by his actions or vocalization."

"…" Hikaru was unable to respond, it took her quite a while to take it all in and register them in her brain. She pressed her lips together, thinking, though she was unable to deny it. As if Theodore was reading her mind, he saw through every corner of her soul and was able to bring it upon her realization very effectively.

His words got her to sink deep into her own thoughts. Theodore did have a point. When it came to Shinjiro and his feelings, she was the one who had to run after him, trying to figure out what he was thinking and how he feels toward her. While with Akihiko, his words and actions spoke for themselves. Even without him saying anything, she could feel his kindness and his affection toward her, always.

"I believed I had seen a phrase, or rather a question, somewhere from the book my master gave me to learn about your world and I recalled that there is a valuable meaning for asking such a question as well. So if you would allow me…" The Velvet Room's assistant paused again, and continued after receiving another assuring nod to go on. "Whom will you choose, the one you love or the one who loves you?"

The question caused Hikaru to freeze; it hit the nail on the head. Knowing full well which of the two represent which one, Hikaru was unable to utter a sound, or even give any respond for that matter. She just stayed still, staring into the blank air as if her soul had been drawn out of her body.

"It varies slightly in your case, but I'm certain that you understand what I meant to say." Theodore cut in after seeing her reaction. The expression on his face was unreadable. "Humans are marvelous, yet mysterious being. Though one's brain is fully aware it is best to choose the one who loves you, for that person would always put your happiness above all else, one's heart would still likely to choose another, for that heart is belonged to that person." He stopped for a moment, allowing the other party to get it all in. "A person would choose the one they love, even though it may bring pain upon them, because at last, it is the heart that has the authority over one's body, not the brain."

Hikaru remained silent as she was searching for an answer within her own heart. She knew that her heart was captured and owned by two people and that she cared for both of them equally. It tortured her to no end having to choose between them. She didn't want to hurt any of them, but also she couldn't go on like this.

Once again, she was deep in thought. She sunk down to the bottom of her heart, her soul, in order to search for an answer she was looking for. However, it was as Theodore said, her heart had already chosen the one she wanted to be with; it was decided a long time ago.

Theodore was right. She was drawn to Shinjiro because of his personality and his hidden kindness. She had to admit that sometimes, she felt that he was selfish for asking her to keep everything a secret, but she was the one that had chosen to fall for him despite of all that. She couldn't deny that half of her heart really did belong to Akihiko and she was longing for his warmth. She wanted to be with him, to return his feelings, but she had chosen Shinjiro first. It might seem that she was being unreasonable that because Shinjiro came first, so she chose him, but it was just as Theodore stated earlier, _humans tend to get attracted to what they are after rather than what presented to them_. She was a human, and she was one of them.

It was her decision to fell for Shinjiro, no matter what happened. She promised herself long ago that even though she wouldn't get anything in return, she would still continue to fall for him, even further.

She didn't know what will happen after this. There might be incidents that would cause her heart to be shaken again, but for now, she intended to keep that promise as long as she could.

"It seems to me that you have made your decision, Hikaru-sama." Theodore spoke again, eyes still focused on his valued guest.

"I guess so…" Hikaru finally spoke after a long silence she kept herself in, a faint smile appeared on her lips once again.

"For the man named Shinjiro, his soul represents the Moon Arcana, the mysterious Arcana of all so his charm is equivalent to those of the Moon. I understand that you might be aware of this fact already."

"Yeah, kind of.." She gave a dry smile, recalling that was the very first thing that came to her mind upon the beginning of her affection toward him. "Even though I have come to this conclusion in my mind, I still don't know what to do or how to face both of them… Especially Akihiko-senpai…"

"I am certain that you would do just fine, Hikaru-sama." Theodore assured her, small smile painted across his face. "After all, you possess the power of the wild card, so it is unable to predict what futures might hold for you. However, that is also mean anything could happen, you will have to wait and see for yourself."

"Thanks, Theo." Hikaru gave him a bright smile, feeling a lot better after she had confessed and let out everything that weighted upon her heart.

"Ah, I regret to say that our time is running short. It is time for you to return to your world. There are many acquaintances of yours waiting for your return." The Velvet Room's assistant informed her in his usual respectful manner.

"I guess I have to, huh?" Hikaru let out a soft sigh. To be honest, there was a part of her that kind of wished she wouldn't have to deal with the reality so soon. "It can't be helped then, thanks a lot for all your help, Theo. I don't know what I'd do without you."

A faint blush suddenly appeared across his handsome face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came and his expression was back to normal, calm and polite.

"I am grateful to be at your service, Hikaru-sama." Theodore bowed slightly, taking her hand and kissed it gently to show his gratitude. "Well then, I look forward to your next visit."

As soon as he said that, Hikaru's vision was blinded with the bright light shining over the area. She felt her soul being pulled further away from the Velvet Room as her consciousness was returning to her body. All her senses drifted into the darkness once again.

Meanwhile, Theodore still stood firm, watching the empty spot where his valuable guest were standing as if she was still there. He brought his hand up, a pain suddenly painted across his golden eyes as he gazed along the hand that was holding hers.

"_A person would choose the one they love, even though it may bring pain upon them…_" Theodore quoted what he said earlier. A soft chuckle left his throat. He then smiled, somewhat sadly. "Maybe, the same goes for me, too…"

He brought the same hand up to his face and gently kissed on his gloved palm, where he touched her… His most valuable guest…

* * *

P.S. Yeah, I'm evil just like that. Torturing characters in my story is starting to become my habit now, so yeah. (I love you though, Theo, you're one of my fav.)

_***spoilers about Theodore in P3P***__ This is the impression I got from Theo after viewing his last 'date' in FeMC's room in P3P. I kinda figured that he had feelings for her, because after that, whenever you choose 'Talk' and 'Ask Out' (option in the Velvet Room) he always looked so trouble and sad, as if he wanted to but he can't, so I can't help but leaving a hint there in my story. Also the promise, I borrowed a little script from original P3P as well, he said that to FeMC when they got back from their last date and to the Velvet Room. It's really touching, so I have to put it in. __***end spoilers***_

Just to be clear, no, it's not going to end as easy as it sounded to Hikaru. She didn't know what's waiting for her. *evil laughs* Her 'answer' or resolution in this chapter meant nothing, to be honest, because the main drama is coming! You all could start to prepare for it now. Don't worry, Aki's fans, this doesn't mean she choose Shinji over Aki, it's just what Hikaru thought was 'right' to do now. You'll understand later on, very soon, to be precise. This chapter is just explaining how she see Shinji, but I also kept reminding you by putting 'Half of her heart is belonged to Aki as well', so yeah, don't get carried away just because she thought this is what she 'should' do, keeping her promise with Shinji.

Ah, I think I'll stop here, I don't want to spoil you much longer. You'll have to wait and see what future chapters hold. *evil laughs* Thank you for reading my rambling.

And now, onto answering reviews!

**Mihaellawliet**: Lols, thanks for telling me that. I'm still not sure if I could make the love scene very passionate or as well as I write the emotional/drama scenes or not, but I'll try my best! (But this chapter is another emotional chapter, hahah, I am specialized at this area.) And OMG! I followed the link you gave me and read some fanfics there, I went totally RED! I mean I blushed like crazy! My, my, I don't think I'll be able to write very explicit scene like that. I guess mine will be a little more, mild, I think? (I don't know which word to use, hahah.) Well, but thank you for the example anyway! I'll try to do my best when the time comes. For now, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well!

**Whiteheaven**: Heheh, another emotional chapter for you to read. Well, if you're looking at that point of view, I think you're right. Hikaru is quite lucky to have two great guys falling for her, but the emotional and guilt is other topics. And I have to say, the situation will get even more critical in future chapters. *evil laughs* I guess Hikaru's decision and how she handle the situation in this chapter is quite clearer than Chapter 11.2, I don't want to make her wishy-washy as well, I hope you'll like how I characterized her in this chapter. Pls tell me what you think :3

And thank you for your support and review! Another emotional chapter here, and yup, I love dramas! Lols xD

**pmch**: Oh, hello and welcome to my story! It always makes me so happy to see the new reader! Welcome! *hands you a cookie* Yeah, the original ending of the game made me cry, and it made me want to cry even more when I heard Aki's last sentence before the FeMC –dies-. It's just so cruel! Well, back to the topic. Lols. Thank you for your review, I'm so glad that you like my story and how I planned it out. Of course I'm considering Aki and Hikaru, I love Aki, as much as I love Shinji. So that's why I'm having quite a hard time to decide. I hope that I didn't keep you waiting long, here's new chapter! I hope you'll like this one too :3

**Neko Link**: Hello :3 and don't worry about not being able to review. It's true I love to read review, but I'm just glad to see that you're still following my story and that you like it. I've been quite busy as well, but I'm trying to find any of my free time to write this story so I won't keep you waiting long. Thank you so much for the compliments! I'm so glad that you like the drama and emotional scenes. This is another emotional chapter which I aimed for reader to get to know Hikaru's feelings even better. (Since I didn't explain her feelings as much in past chapters, mostly I focused on Aki's and Shinji's.) Well, I hope that you'll find this chapter enjoyable as well. I gotta tell you, there's a lot more drama to come after this, so I hope you'll be prepare. (And to be honest, I always look forward to an email saying I got a story review, hehe)

**pchan17**: Hahah, I don't understand myself as well. Lately I've been in an emotional/dramatic mood to write these kinds of scenes. (I think you must have figured that out reading this, another emotional chapter from me.) Yeah, I enjoy writing emotional and dramatic scenes, I hope I'll improve even more though! Thank you for your continuous support! I hope you'll like this chapter as much as the last one. I'll be waiting to hear what you think about it ^^

**Deidara'sgirl19**: Aw, I'm sorry I made you cry, but emotional and dramatic chapters are my main points of my story here. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to send you a PM regarding your new chapter and my review about it. I've been quite busy lately, university really eats up all my free time. I'm lucky to find some time and finish this chapter at long last. I envy how you could finish your chapter so quick xD I promise I'll send you a PM about your newest chapter as soon as I could. I'm glad you like Chapter 11.2 and I hope you'll like this one as well. Shinji didn't make his appearance yet, but don't worry. He will, eventually, I assure you. Thank you for voting in my poll and thanks for your continuous support as well!

**jory014**: Hahah, you're exactly right! I've been waiting for a perfect opportunity to bring Theo into my story, finally here it is! I'm quite excited to write about him, but then I soon found out that it's so DAMN hard to keep Theo in character! (For me, who is not a native English speaker, that is.) He always speak in a very very respectful manner and use all these big words (which I have to opened up in my dictionary to see what it means) every time I play P3P and had a scene with him. To complete this chapter, I use Thesaurus(dot)com like crazy, trying to find very sophisticated words to use in his conversation =w= This is the best I can do.

About Shinji's hair, only one comment. (Pardon me if I sound a bit rude but) I was reading your review and then burst out laughing(my ass off) at "(just cut a few strands of that damn hair!)" Yup, that was it. Thank you for the best laugh of the day.

Ah, so I assume that you had an incident involving plagiarizers then? I totally understand how you feel though. I'm just starting to write story in English, so I haven't encounter that problem with my fanfics yet. But I did have a situation similar to that happened to my original story I wrote in Thai. It was quite popular and I was proud of it since it was my best original story I came up with up until now. I totally went crazy over the matter when I found out it was totally plagiarized and posted somewhere else. (I mean totally like 99.9%, that person just change the title of the story and put their name as author!). It made me so mad though since I spent so much time coming up with a good plot and everything. And it was completely stolen, just like that. The matter was taken care of though, and now I'm continuing my Thai story as normal. So yeah, I understand your feelings about plagiarizers.

I'm sorry for my rambling if the matter you were referring to is not about plagiarism though. Well, I hope you'll like this chapter as well! Thank you for your support and review!

**IreLi**: Oh, welcome new reader! I'm so glad that you like my story! I hope I didn't keep you waiting long, but I'm trying my best to update as soon as possible, so yeah. Here it is! I hope you'll like this one as well!

**AoKanojo**: Lols, thank you as always for taking time off your day to read and correct my grammar. I'll fix the "he made her cried" part immediately. And yeah, I think you'll break me out of this habit just like you did before, lols. I really appreciated it though. Thank you about the opinion on Shinji's thought as well. You totally read my mind, I gotta say. I had that planned out and related to the incident as well, you'll know in details in future chapters. Thanks for the opinion though!

And OMG, you totally asked about what I planned to write in this chapter. I was totally shocked over your review and went like "How can you know that! I was just planning to write it!" (Are you a mind reader? First Shinji's incident and now this?) Oh well, I think this whole chapter is devoted to your question then. I hope it answer your question though, let me know if it didn't. I'll clarify it to you if you still wonder about anything. And I finally get a chance to bring out Theo! I was waiting for this opportunity for so long! Though it is so hard to write and keep him in character though. As I told another reader, it's so DAMN hard to keep Theo in character! (For me, who is not a native English speaker, that is.) He always speak in a very very respectful manner and use all these big words (which I have to opened up in my dictionary to see what it means) every time I play P3P and had a scene with him. To complete this chapter, I use Thesaurus(dot)com like crazy, trying to find very sophisticated words to use in his conversation =w= This is the best I can do.

Well, let me know what you think then :3

**TifaStrifeinlove**: Lols, well, kind of. And also I want to know what you guys think too, that's why I created the poll. I won't tell you who's in the lead now, and I'm not even sure if I'll be using the poll result as the decision of ultimate couple in my story as well. As I said, I just want your opinion and see what you think. Thank you for voting as well though! Well, this chapter still don't have Shinji, mostly Hikaru and Theo. But he'll make his appearance very soon! I assure you! I'm glad you like the previous chapter, I hope you'll like this one as well!

**Moonlight and Music**: Oh, don't worry about not be able to review! I'm glad to see that you're still following my story! My life has been getting more and more busy everyday, I'm having a hard time finding free time to write my story but at least I'm trying! Well, another emotional chapter! (I wanted to write some jokes and humor chapter as well, but I failed miserably, so I gave up.) Thank you for your support and review! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as much as the previous one!

**NaotoFan**: Thank you for your support! And welcome to my story!

**Cielle's Amour**: Oooh! Welcome! Thank you for your support and I'm happy to receive your review xD I gotta say, I've read your fanfiction as well and I love it! I love the humor you inserted in your story! I can't write anything funny, it always came up as lame jokes and very awkward. So yeah, I'll just go crazy with drama and emotions on my story instead, something I'm good at, at least. Thank you for reviewing. I'm glad that you like it. I'll also wait for your next chapter as well! Let's do our best together :3


	14. Chapter 13 Embraced by the Moon

***Special Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews! It exceeds 100 already! And as a thank you for supporting my story, I made a little drawing of Aki, scanned it and posted it on my photobucket id, you could find the drawing by following the link below.  
**_**i142(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/r103/doreamonfon/scan0004-Fixed(dot)jpg**_** - Pls replace (dot) with actual .  
Thank you again for all your support! I'll do my best in future chapters as well!*  
Author's Note: **Thank you very much for reading my story and continue to read onto Chapter 13! Reviews exceed 100 made me go totally crazy and jumping up and down. I don't know how I could thank you enough. All your supports and reviews are what keep me writing and going like this. So again, thank you very much.  
Now, first of all, I have to say 'SORRY' for my late update this time! I've been very busy with university lately, especially this week. I had quite large number of assignments due within few days and presentation tomorrow. Things have been crazy here and I don't have time to write at all. I finally get to have free time today so I started this chapter from scratch and managed to finish it after 5 hours of concentrating and struggling. I don't have time to proof-read it so I apologize in advance if this chapter has more errors than usual.  
And for briefing, I'll keep it short "Shinjiro's fluff". Yeah, that explained it all.  
Yeah, as I said, I'm quite busy so I won't keep you here any longer. Here's Chapter 13! I hope you all will like it!**  
**As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

* * *

**Chapter 13** **Embraced by the Moon**

**Hikaru's room – Late Night**

Hikaru felt her consciousness returning to her body bit by bit. The coldness slowly sunk in from the tip of her fingers as she let out a soft groan. Her head was a little dizzy and when she managed to open her eyes, all she could see at the time was still pitch-black darkness.

The girl blinked rapidly to adjust her eyes, faint gleam of moonlight coming from the window made it a little easier. She blinked again before raising an eyebrow as she suddenly noticed a dark figure beside her bed.

Upon first glance, Hikaru was able to tell who it was as the familiar smell of cooking oil and faint scent of tobacco came to her senses.

Shinjiro was sitting in the chair right beside her. He wasn't asleep, but somehow he was too distracted to notice that the owner of the room had already awakened. Under the absence of the light and soft moonbeam, Hikaru found Shinjiro's face surprisingly calm, also surprisingly _gorgeous_. The expression on his face was something she had never seen before. His face, glazed by the faint golden ray, was facing sideway. His brown eyes were staring out the window, onto the empty atmosphere of the night. Once again, Hikaru found herself sunk into his mysterious charm, unable to resist.

However, no matter how charming he was, she felt lonely when she looked deep into those eyes of his. It was like this, every time she looked at him. Even when he was smiling, deep down, Hikaru could feel his loneliness, his sadness, though she couldn't explain why. The only thing she knew was that she wanted him to be happy. She wanted to be with him, to make all his sadness and pain go away.

Unconsciously, she reached out and touched his hand with hers. It caused Shinjiro to turn his head and look at her as the coldness from her fingers transferred onto the back of his hand, his brown eyes slightly widened.

"Akane…" He whispered, even in the dark, Hikaru could see relief painted across his face as he came to realize that she was awake now. "Wait, I'll turn on the light." He rose to his feet as he said it, but the brunette girl managed to make a grab on his sleeve just before he walked away. Shinjiro turned to face her, wearing a questioning look.

"Don't…" She said, trying her best to keep her voice stable. "It's okay, just…sit here, with me," she added, her hand trembled slightly. Shinjiro said nothing to that, but simply took her grabbing hand into his warm hold and sat back on the chair, eyes studying her face.

A silence fell between them, but it was a comfortable silence as Shinjiro's warmth slowly transferred to Hikaru by their jointed hands. She was lying on her side, staring into his gaze and he did the same. That silent, but gentle gaze caused exotic warmth rising in her heart.

"Can I ask what happened, again?" Hikaru finally decided to break the silence by asking, though she was slightly afraid of meeting his eyes so she kept her gaze down to the floor.

"Aki found you unconscious on the street and carried you back." Shinjiro answered in a plain voice and she was unable to tell what his current mood was. The mention of Akihiko's name did shake her heart a bit, but she managed to keep it inside after she spent certain amount of time confessing and talking to Theodore about it earlier.

According to Shinjiro's tone and the way he spoke, Hikaru could assume that Akihiko didn't tell him or anyone about what really happened which, to be honest, she was quite grateful for as she wasn't ready to face any of that right now. The most importantly, she didn't want Shinjiro to know as she already made her decision to be with him and to keep her promise.

After staying quiet for another long while, the brunette finally gathered enough courage to speak again.

"Are you… mad at me..?" Hikaru hesitantly asked, giving him a coy smile. She heard him let out a long sigh in reply. His grip on her hand tightened.

"Of course I am, you stupid idiot!" Shinjiro responded in somewhat scolding tone, startled the person on the bed to a certain degree. "Who the hell do you think you are? An invincible leader?" He asked, eyes glaring at her. Hikaru pressed her lips together, swallowing her own saliva, unable to argue with him. She knew that it would be pointless since it was really her fault this time, and also, she had never seen him this mad at her before. "You just fainted last night and woke up this evening! Doesn't that tell you something? Your body doesn't fully recover yet!"

The girl opened her mouth to say something, but ended up closing it without a word when she received a sharp glance from the man next to her.

"Why do you keep doing this?" He questioned, let out yet another long sigh. "It's good that Aki found you when he did, otherwise, I couldn't imagine what'd have happened to you." He inhaled sharply, looking deep into her crimson eyes. "Why are you always like this? Throwing yourself out into any bad situation that could happen. Fainting in Tartarus and passed out on the random street in middle of the night the next day. You're just a girl, dammit!"

"I'm…sorry…" was all Hikaru could say. She casted her eyes to the floor, started to tear up a little.

"Shit, don't cry. I-Argh!" A soft groan left his throat as he sighed for the third time since she woke up. He scratched the back of his head, getting uncomfortable.

Shinjiro tightened his grip, taking a deep breath and arranged his words. "I didn't mean to yell at you… It's just..I'm worried about you." His face turned light red as he averted her gaze by looking to the side. He took in another deep breath before meeting her eyes again. "It drives me crazy just thinking that… something could have happen to you…and once again, I wasn't there to protect you."

"I feel so angry, at myself, for letting you out of my sight and allow you to hurt yourself again." He paused, his face getting a bit redder. "That's why… I have to be here, now, by your side, to make sure that you're safe. Even though I had to..ur…sneak in here after all those idiots went to sleep." He managed to finish the sentence, though he was blushing like mad. It felt as if he was confessing to her. "Do you know how long I had to wait? Aki was a pain, that idiot just wouldn't leave you if it wasn't for Takeba and Yamagishi saying that he also needed a rest." Shinjiro exhaled; somewhat irritated at the last bit of information he was giving.

Hikaru giggled softly at the new bit of information about the man she had fallen for. She wouldn't expect that in a million years, Shinjiro would put himself through all the troubles and sneak in her room just to watch her sleep, let alone confessing to her about it afterward.

"What are you laughing at?" He growled, feeling even more embarrassed as he heard another soft giggle rang through the air. "I haven't forgiven you yet."

Hikaru pressed the back of her hand to her mouth to stop her laugh, eventually succeeded in doing so. Her hand that was still in his grasp squeezed his strong palm a little, causing Shinjiro to turn his head slightly, looking at her from the corner of his eyes.

The brunette girl gave him a sweet smile, bringing his hand up to her mouth. She kissed it gently before holding it with both of her hands, dearly and lovingly.

"Thank you…for being with me, here..and now.." She looked deep into his eyes as she said this. Speechless, Shinjiro took in long deep breath before letting out a soft sigh.

"Damn, you sure are troublesome brat," he scoffed, giving her a light push on the head as he smiled in defeat. "Fine. I'll let you off today, just go to sleep." Patting her head, Shinjiro got up and started to turn around, though not before Hikaru grabbed his coat. He turned around.

"Um…" A sound that left her mouth caused him to raise a brow. Her pale face was blushing light pink while her eyes met his, shyly. "C-Could you…stay here tonight…?"

Both of Shinjiro's eyes widened in surprise, a faint trace of red slowly returning to his face.

"W-What are you-!"

"Ah! No! I didn't mean it like that!" Hikaru stuttered after realizing what she just said and how he must had interpreted it. Seeing her reaction, Shinjiro was able to control part of his feelings and waited for her to explain. "I mean… I want to be with you… So..could you just…hold me in your arms…until I fall asleep?" Struggling to finish the sentence, Hikaru then blushed deep red, looking down to the floor. "I know I'm being demanding and selfish… I just-"

Her voice got cut off as Shinjiro suddenly embraced her tightly. This time, it was her ruby eyes that widened in surprise.

"Fine, I get it," he said in a deep voice, slowly loosened his hold so that he could see her face as he gave her a gentle smile she was waiting for. "What a spoiled brat you are, asking me to do all these things." There was a brief silence. "Hmph, but I guess I can cope, you're the leader right?" He chuckled, smiling mockingly as he slid off his burgundy pea coat and left it on the chair, revealing a black turtleneck he was wearing underneath. "Now move over will ya? How the hell could I hold you if you're hogging all the space?"

"Senpai…!" Hikaru pouted, but move further into the bed, allowing the other party to slip under the blanket and he did so. "Aren't you going to take off your…hat?"

"Just how much more demanding would you be tonight?" The man teased, though he obediently took off his beanie, put it next to his coat and ran his fingers through his hair to arrange it. All the while, Hikaru was staring at him, saying nothing. Noticing that, his brows quirked up. "What?"

"Ah, nothing, senpai, it's just…I think I never seen you without your hat on.. You look…" She took a pause, trying to come up with the right word. "…cute."

"D-Don't be ridiculous!" He responded immediately, his face turned bright red. Shinjiro looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. _Just how many more embarrassing thing she had to say tonight anyway._ He questioned mentally, taking a glance at the girl beside him. He then noticed one of her trademark, very similar to the hat he was wearing. Tilting his head a bit, he smirked. "Now that you made me take off my hat, why don't you do the same with those hairpins of yours?"

"Hmm?" Hikaru made a light sound in wonder after hearing the unexpected request, fingers touching the x-shaped hairpins on the left side of her hair. "Curious now, aren't we, senpai?" She teased back, giving him a mischievous smile.

"Don't blame me when you're the one who started it, stupid." Shinjiro countered. The leader of S.E.E.S. just smiled as she took her hairpins out and gave a light tug to her pigtail, causing her delicate brown hair to fall onto her shoulders. She ran her fingers through it several times for it to straighten back to original state.

Without knowing it, Shinjiro reached out his hand to ruffle at her fine brunette hair. She was absolutely _beautiful _with her hair down, and even more _divine _under the moonlight. Now that he came to realize that fact, he was secretly grateful that the other guys didn't get to see her like this, or else he'd have much more troubles to deal with later on.

"Well, I'll take that as a compliment then, Shinjiro-senpai." Hikaru said, referring to his touch before giving him a bright smile. He chuckled, shifted himself onto the bed and lay on his side, pulling the smaller figure into his strong arms as she rested her head on his chest, mumbling. "I'm sorry for being selfish, senpai. I know we can't let anyone know about us, but still-"

Once again, her sentence got cut off, but this time, by his soft lips pressed against her. He seized all her words and slipped his tongue inside her mouth to capture her taste. Their tongues intertwined as the kiss was deepened by both parties. A soft moan escaped Hikaru's throat when she felt warm pleasure spreading through her body from the feel of his tongue against her own.

Shinjiro drew back after a while, leaving the female slightly panting from the passionate kiss. "Sometimes you talk too much, just shut up once in a while." He mocked, giving her a light peck on her forehead. "Go to sleep. I won't leave you until morning, that's a promise." He held her close, lovingly, to ensure that he meant every word he'd said.

Hikaru smiled silently and snuggled closer to him, to feel more of his warmth. She buried her face in his chest, inhaling his scent. At least, for now, she didn't have to think about anything. He was here with her. She could feel his warmth, his touch, and also faint thump of his heartbeats.

Surprisingly, they were matching hers.

* * *

P.S. I was planning to ramble on about university and why my update was delayed, but I don't think I have time to go into details right now. So yeah, I'll ramble about it in –hopefully- next chapter. For this chapter, I'll just remind you to check my attempt at drawing Aki as a thank you for over 100 reviews! (Actually, I got bored during my Financial Management class so I decided to draw something, I recalled that I wanted to thank you all and give you something in return of over 100 reviews, and this doodle was it. It was a perfect opportunity to killed some time off boring lecture =w=.) Also, if I have time or I get bored again, I'll try to draw Shinji as well. :3

i142(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/r103/doreamonfon/scan0004-Fixed(dot)jpg - Don't forget to replace (dot) with actual . [And please let me know what you think!]

Now, onto answering reviews!

**Whiteheaven**: Sorry for the delay on the update, I've been very busy this week. Lols. I'm glad you like how I made Hikaru decided a bit quick. I was afraid that some of the readers would think that she was so confused and everything in previous chapter, how can she managed to get over it so quickly? Doesn't she have heart or emotions at all? Or something like that. Though I was trying to convey that Hikaru was a strong girl with determined mind and attitude (that's why Aki and Mitsuru trusted her to be the leader of SEES.) And I'm glad that you like Theo xD He's one of my favorite character. (I agree with you on the cheating thing, he's so adorable and too hot to pass up even when you fall for Aki or Shinji xD) I hope you like this chapter of Shinji fluff!

**jory014**: I have to say I'm very sorry for my late update. I've been very busy with reports and assignments from the university and didn't get time to write. Finally I have only today to write and I managed to start and finish the whole chapter in 5 hours. I'm glad you like how I convey Theo's feelings in previous chapter. I love Theo, so yeah, that's why I also love to torture him. *evil laughs* It was hard to write his conversation and his personality, but seeing your respond, it was totally worth it. At least my effort didn't go to waste.

Well, this chapter is kind of full of Shinji fluff. (Pls bear with me for now, after the incident, he'll be gone until very much later in the story and that's when Aki got the whole picture to himself.) Lols, I'm glad you read the note (and my rambling) so at least you'd know what I'm trying to do or if that chapter mean anything or not.

Sorry if this answer is shorter than usual, I still have reports due in few days and presentation tomorrow, so I have to keep it short. Sorry for that though, and don't forget to see the doodle (Up on the Author's Note) I made for Aki. I hope you like it!

**pchan17**: Ah, I'm sooo sorry for my late update! It's so crazy here at the university with all homeworks and reports, but here I am! I'm glad that you like how I express and convey Theo's character/feelings. It was hard to write up his conversation, but seeing your respond make me happy. So you're Theo fan as well? xD You're just like me, I love both Shinji and Aki, and Theo is my lil' favorite as well, lols. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too.

**Mihaellawliet**: Ah, I was a bit surprised when I saw your review got cut off, but then I'm relieved when I got the PM from you xD Sorry that I didn't answer you in PM, I was thinking that it'd be better answer here. Well, this chapter is full of Shinji! So I hope that you'll like it xD Hahah, well, it could be very bad situation but at least you have 2 hot guys to fall for you, so Hikaru could be grateful on that (and be tortured to choose one of them, hahah, I'm evil, yes.) Lols, well, I hope you'll find this chapter enjoyable as well.

**Moonlight and Music**: Ah, I'm happy to know that you like the previous chapter and how I write Theo. He was the hardest one to keep in character, but I guess my effort was worth it. Don't worry about the short review, I'm just glad to see you're supporting me. I've been very busy as well, that's why my update of this chapter hot delayed. I hope you'll forgive me after seeing my doodle of Aki. (You could find the link in the Author's Note)

**(Nameless reviewer):** Well, I don't know how to call you so I'll just leave it like that xD I'm trying to write more and here it is! I hope you like it.

**carrieclamp**: Oh, hello! I think I remembered you did review my story once, in past chapters I couldn't recall exactly which one but I'm pretty sure I've seen your review before xD Oh well! Thank you very much for your support and review anyway! I'm so glad that you like my story and you like Theo as well xD Hehe, Theo the teddie bear, that'd have been very cute, lols. Thank you again for the review! I'll keep updating ASAP!

**Deidara'sgirl19**: I'm VERY sorry for my late update. I've been very very busy this week and there are still a lot of reports and assignments due very soon. I'm glad you like Theo's personality and how I tried to keep him in character. This chapter is purely Shinji fluff, so I hope that you'll like it.

I'm sorry I haven't gotten around my schedule to review your newest chapter yet. I've given them a read through though, it's great. I like how to write the violent/rape scene, very emotional. I'm sorry I couldn't do into detail since I've only read through it once, I'll get back to you on that after I clear every works out of the way!

**Cielle's Amour**: Lols, I love Theo though, he's one of my fav. Thank you for the review and support! If you're a Shinji fan, this chapter is for you! I hope you'll enjoy it. I'm also waiting for your next chapter as well x3 Good luck!

**AoKanojo**: Ah, thank you for pointing out my error, as always. I'll get around my university assignments and correct that immediately, thank you again for your effort x3 (Yeah, it was hard to write Theo's conversation. I used Thesaurus so it came out weird just like that.)

I'm glad to hear your opinion about Theo. Yeah, I kinda have to give Theo the role since he is the one and only person who could be the most objective about all this. And yay! I'm so happy that you catch the "I want what I can't have" part since I couldn't write it as clear as that. It have to be Theo rambling about human and everything first. But anyway! I'm happy that you like it, my effort is finally paid off. It took me too long to write the previous chapter.

Hahah, I understand your feelings. I like Theo and I *wish* I could make him happy, even in the game. He's just so unfortunate to meet FeMC under these conditions. He couldn't love anyone but yet he fell for FeMC, and it was impossible for him to tell her or for her to return his feelings. It's just so sad, that's why I couldn't help but include a minor one-sided of him into my story. But yeah, you're right, it's impossible to include him in this love triangle. *But* maybe if I'm bored AND crazy, I may write a one-shot depicting Aki, Shinji and Theo being with Hikaru/FeMC just for fun. Lols, yeah, just something to look forward to isn't it?

About the sense of time, yeah, I tried to keep it unknown, but very soon I'll be stating the date once it got into the major drama and close to 10/4. Well, I'll just give you a minor spoiler then. When I stated the time/date clearly, it'd be on 10/2, 2 days before the incident.

Well, thank you for your support! Major Drama is coming! I hope you'll like this fluffy chapter as well.

**tsuki-no-usagi-kaguya-hime**: Hehe, yeah. Theo is great isn't he? I can't help but put him into my story, even though he didn't get a major role, but it's still good to have him right? X3 I'm glad you like my story/chapter, and I hope you'll enjoy this one too!

**codename710**: Ah, don't be amazed. My previous chapter about Theo took me the longest! I spent days trying to keep him in character and I use a LOT of Thesaurus to find the words/vocabularies to use in his conversation. (Why does he have to speak in such a hard-to-understand manner!) Ah, anyway, I'm glad you like it. Yeah, I feel sorry for Theo as well, I wish he could be happy with FeMC (as in the game) but it was impossible so I couldn't help but put him into my story.

Thank you for letting me know, actually, I've seen you posted your story quite a while ago but I didn't get a chance to properly read it and give you a review about it. I've read through it only once, though I gotta say you writing style is very good! (I have to say that it is even better than my writing, honestly.) University is eating all my time, but I promise I'll try to get around my busy schedule and gave your story another good read and review. Thank you for your support! :3

(And I have to say thank you very much for putting the link of my story into yours, I really appreciated it.)

**neon kun**: Lols, so you're Shinji's fan! Welcome to my story! I'm glad you like it. Well, if you're rooting for Shinji, this chapter is for you! It's full with Shinji fluff, hehe. I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter as well! (And I agree, Moon Social Link is just great, I played through it several times and I couldn't get enough of his 'extra' after maxing his , he's so great x3)

**IreLi**: Oh hello! And welcome to my story! I'm glad you like my previous chapter. It took me very long time to write it and to keep Theo in character. He's always so polite, but he's so cute and curious when he went out with FeMC isn't he? X3 And yeah, I know I'm torturing Aki a lot, but don't worry, I have to give an edge to Shinji because after the 'incident', he'll be pretty much out until a lot later in the story and Aki would get full attention then. So please bear with me for now x3 Well, I attempted to draw Aki and I scan that image and posted the link up in Author's Note. If you're Aki's fan, I hope you'll like it, pls let me know what you think then :3

**narim451**: Ah, hello and welcome another new reader! *hands you a cookie* I'm happy to see that you like my story. Well, here is another chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it!


	15. Chapter 14 Avoiding

**Author's Note: **Of course! I have to thank you all of you for reading my story and continue to read onto Chapter 14! And also thank you so much for all your reviews and continuous support! I couldn't be here and write this story up onto this point without the supports and reviews from all of you. I really appreciated them! Thank you so much! I love you all!  
Now, onto briefing, well, this Chapter is mainly the opening and preparing chapter for all of you to be ready for what's going to happen in the next chapter. I did manage to add in some Shinji's fluff for Shinji's fan as well so I hope that you'll like it.  
Up onto this point, I'm still not 100% decided on which is the ultimate couple yet, though I did have few ideas in my mind. I know which direction I'm going to take for now, but not yet for the end. So yeah, I'm just rambling, don't mind me. I'll keep you guys up to date if there's any change/progress made to the storyline.  
Ah, university just drain all my time and my life energy. Lols, well, at least I'm able to find some free time to write and continue this story. So I won't keep you're here any longer, here's Chapter 14! The opening chapter before the drama! I hope all of you will enjoy this chapter as much as the others :3  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

* * *

**Chapter 14 Avoiding**

**Gekkoukan High Front Gate – Early Morning**

"Hikaru, are you sure you're well enough to come to school?" Yukari asked the girl next to her in a worried voice as Hikaru, Junpei and herself were making their way to school. The auburn-haired girl just smiled at her best friend.

"Yes, I'm sure." She said, nodding to assure that she meant it. "I'm fine, totally."

"But man, you scared the hell outta us again last night!" Junpei cut in, looking toward the two girls. "It's good that Sanada-senpai found you there."

"What were you doing anyway?" Yukari questioned again, eying at Hikaru. "You said you were going to take a walk and how come you ended up fainting again?"

"Ugh…" The leader of S.E.E.S. paused for a moment, trying to think of the best excuse to get her out of this situation. "I don't know… I think my body just gave out."

"If so, you should've stay in and rest today." Yukari protested, still looking at her with worry in her eyes. "It'd be bad if something happened to you. The full moon is coming up too."

"Geez, I can't miss anymore school." Hikaru argued, sounding serious. "It's bad enough I missed yesterday's classes. I don't want to fall behind that much." She added before giving both of her friends an assuring smile. "And you can count on me when the full moon comes. You know I'll be ready."

"Well, it's not like I doubt you or anything." Another brunette replied softly, sighing. "You're my best friend so I'm worried. I'd be lonely if anything really happened to you, you know?"

Hikaru just smiled at her best friend's words. To receive such words and concern, she felt warm feeling rising in her heart.

"I'll be alright Yukari. I'm sorry for making you worried." She said faintly and grinned as she received a warm smile as a respond.

"If I am to be honest, I don't think I was the only one who is worried though," for this sentence, Yukari leaned down to whisper at her ear. A mischievous smile crept up her face. "And I think you know who I'm talking about."

"Again?" Hikaru whispered back, couldn't help but rolled her eyes when her best friend managed to bring this topic back up again. She just never gives up.

"What, what? What are you two talkin' about? Let me join in too!" Typical Junpei perked his head in curiously and got a strong push from Yukari in return.

"This is a girl thing. Keep out, Junpei!"

"Oww! What's with the secrecy?" The boy faked a sad face, but had to drop it as Yukari shot a bored gaze at him.

"It's because you can **never **keep a secret, Stupei." She replied in a monotone, shoving his head away.

"Oy! What's up with that?" His voice rose as he turned to look at Hikaru, who decided to remain silent for her sake. Receiving no respond from the leader, he turned back to Yukari again. "I **can **keep a secret! I'm an excellent secret keeper!"

"Oh, please…" Yukari rolled her eyes. "With your attitude and personality? It'd be a hundred years too soon for you to get any secret from me."

"Come on!" Junpei started to complain, trying to get his head closer to the two girls but Yukari managed to stop him with her hand forcing his head away from them. "Hika-chan! You'd trust me right? Right?"

Hikaru just gave him a dry chuckle, neither agreeing nor denying.

"Stop it! Stupei!" Another brunette girl landed a heavy smack on the hat-covered head before dragging him by his collar to get him away from her best friend. "She's still not fully recover yet, don't even think about bothering her with your nonsense!"

Junpei opened his mouth to protest, but was forced to close it without a word as Yukari threw him a deadly glance. Succeeding in shutting Junpei up, she then turned to face the leader of S.E.E.S., noticing that she was quiet for some time.

"Are you okay Hikaru? You sure you don't want to take another day off?" Concern and worry in her voice caused Hikaru to shake her head strongly, waving both of her hands.

"I'm fine, really!" Hikaru nodded her head like mad to convince the other party. "I had a very good sleep last night too…" She trailed off as the memory of her 'good sleep' flashed back in her mind. Hikaru couldn't help but blushed slightly at the thought, especially about what happened just this morning.

_She woke up quite early than usual, probably because of her concern about Shinjiro, who had to leave early just to make sure no one see him. Just as she was blinking rapidly to adjust her eyes with the faint sunlight shining through the window, she caught the sight of gentle brown gaze staring at her from above. It did startle her a bit as she didn't expect him to still be here with her, but then she grinned sweetly at him._

"_Good morning…" She greeted, shifted slightly so she could take a good look at him. It was just then that she suddenly aware that he was still in bed, holding her close to him from behind._

"_Mornin'," Shinjiro replied, wearing a kind smile as he bent down and gave her a light kiss on her forehead._

"_I thought you have to leave early before anyone is up?" She questioned, though she was secretly happy that he was still here when she woke up._

"_I don't wanna wake you," he explained, his face was a little red. "'Sides, it's still pretty early, no one would be up at this hour," he took a pause, smiling faintly as he saw worry in her ruby eyes. "Don't worry about me, if any of those idiots ask, I'll just tell 'em I came up to check on you."_

"_I never knew you're good at making up excuses, senpai," she teased, smiling mockingly._

"_Hmph," he made a light sound, tilting his head. "I wouldn't have to go through all these troubles if it wasn't for a certain brat, y'know?"_

_Shinjiro got a light hit on his arm as a reply. He just chuckled, looking even more amused for some reason._

"_So the real reason that you're still here with me is just to tease me so early in the morning, senpai?" She looked back at him over her shoulder._

"_No," he denied, smirking as he spun her body around to face him. The sudden action surprised Hikaru to a certain point as her eyes widened. "I wanna give you this," he added, and before she knew it, her lips were sealed by his. He forced her to part her lips by nibbling at them and when she did, his hot tongue found its way inside her mouth. Her head was still a blur as her tongue connected with his in a passionate kiss. Intoxicated in his taste, Hikaru moaned quietly in her throat as burning sensation started to flare up inside her body. Once again, she found herself panting and gasping for air as their lips separated._

_Through her half-lidded eyes, she could see Shinjiro's face as he gave her the most attractive smile she'd ever seen._

"_A Morning Kiss."_

"…u…karu… Hikaru!" The sound of her name suddenly snapped the brunette back to reality. Her eyes slightly widened as she turned to her friend.

"U-uh, yeah?" was all she managed to get out right now.

"You were spacing out." Yukari stated, eyes focusing on her best friend. "Are you alright? Your face is red. Do you have a fever?" She asked in worry, reaching out and put her hand on Hikaru's forehead.

"Oh, it's nothing!" The leader of S.E.E.S. immediately pulled back, taking in a few deep breaths to calm herself down and get the mental image of a certain someone out of her head. She noticed just now that they were way past the school gate and already entering the hallway. Her eyebrows rose up. Did she space out that long?

"Huh, where's Junpei?" Hikaru asked when she looked around and saw no sign of the boy and his trademark cap. The question caused another brunette to quirked up an eyebrow.

"For the last time, I promise. Are you sure you're alright?" Yukari asked, sarcastically this time. "He went to buy something to eat before class." She told her friend, observing her reaction. "Honestly, what did you space out about?"

"Uh-It's nothing." Hikaru answered, trying her best not to stutter or else she'd get whole lot of questions from the girl in front of her, for sure.

"Oh, now that Junpei is gone, we could continue our talk now," Yukari gave a mischievous smile, leaning closer to the auburn-haired girl and whispered. "About Sanada-senpai."

"I-" But before Hikaru could finish the sentence, her eyes caught a sight of a familiar tall figure with silver hair walking toward them. She was pretty sure that he already saw her, but she just couldn't face him right now. Thinking that, she quickly turned to her friend. "I'll go on ahead, I just remember I need to do something! See you in class!" And with that, she immediately headed in totally opposite direction of the silver-haired youth.

"A-Akane!" Hikaru heard a deep voice calling her from behind, but it only made her feet move even faster until the voice was no more.

Stunned by her friend's words and reaction, Yukari tilted her head to the side as Akihiko walked up to stand beside her. He let out a long sigh which caused Yukari to glance at him.

"Is it just me or she's running away from you, Sanada-senpai?" She asked curiously, though in a respectful tone, eyes studying his face while Akihiko sighed again, still looking at the direction Hikaru disappeared to.

"I…don't know.." was all he could reply at the moment. Another long sigh left his mouth. He had a bad feeling about this.

**2F Classroom Hallway – Lunchtime**

It was finally lunchtime and as usual, Junpei was the most excited one of all as he ran off the classroom and headed directly to the school cafeteria. Yukari and Hikaru were right behind him, though not as excited.

"How can that idiot be so hyper all the time?" Yukari said, her eyes following the running Junpei as he disappear downstairs. Hikaru simply smiled at the statement.

"At least he could be happy about the little things." The leader of S.E.E.S. commented, still smiling faintly. "I guess it's nice that any minor details couldn't get into his brain. Don't have to think or worry too much about anything, doesn't sound so bad does it?"

"Ugh…" Yukari groaned quietly, making a face. "In his case, it's more like he doesn't think or worry about anything _at all_."

A soft giggled left Hikaru's lips. "Yeah, maybe you're right." Though she said that, she couldn't help but felt a little jealous of Junpei sometimes. Especially when there were so many things she had to deal with at the moment. Sometimes, she really thought that if she could just take a break about all this and live a carefree life like Junpei, it wouldn't seem such a bad idea.

"Heyyy! I bought you guys some bread so we all can share! Don't forget to pay me later though, or else I'm broke." It was Junpei, who ran back up with handful amount of bread in his hands. Hikaru's face lit up as she snatched the yakisoba bread from his grasp.

"Another advantage for being hyperactive, quick lunch without waiting." Hikaru said to Yukari with a smile. The brunette could only smile back. She had to agree with her friend on this one.

"Huh? What do you mean?" The boy in mention asked curiously, trying not to drop any of the bread he carried.

"Nothing." The two girls answered in unison and giggled quietly to each other, leaving the only boy of the group frowning for the first time of the day.

"Again?" He pouted, sighing. "Well, I'm too hungry to get into that right now. Let's go eat! I'm starving!"

Hikaru laughed at Junpei's words, but suddenly halted as she saw someone in the corner of her eyes. He was still far away, but seeing him caused her heart to accelerate a bit.

"Sorry guys, but I promised Rio-chan to eat lunch with her today. So I'll see you guys after lunch! Bye!" Another quick statement and the leader of S.E.E.S. made her escape by running off to another direction, leaving both of her friends confused and perplexed.

Yukari tilted her head to the side, wondering what had gotten into her best friend this time, but her question was immediately answered by the sound of Junpei.

"Oh, hello Sanada-senpai! It's weird running into you here!" Junpei greeted cheerfully, though Akihiko merely nodded his head in respond. "Do you want some bread, senpai? We have plenty!"

"Uh… No thanks, Iori." He declined the offer politely, noticing that the girl he wanted to see wasn't there, so he turned to face Yukari. "Um.. Where's Akane? I thought I saw her here a minute ago."

"Ah…" was all Yukari could respond as she was having a hard time figuring out how to tell him. "Well, she was here, but she just left. She said she needed to meet with Rio-chan."

"Is that so…" Akihiko said softly. Even Junpei could tell that his senior knew that wasn't the real reason.

"Not to be rude, senpai, but did you do something to Hika-chan?" The direct question from Junpei caused Akihiko to flinch.

"W-Why do you think that?" The silver-haired man stuttered a bit as he replied.

"Well, she took off the second she spotted you, so I just figured," the boy explained, still maintaining his effort not to drop any bread in his hands. "But maybe I'm wrong! Don't mind me! I'm just too hungry, so I guess I'll go eat my bread now." He laughed, turning to the brunette girl. "Come find me in the classroom if you want some of this, Yuka-tan!" And with that, he was off, running happily toward the classroom.

Seeing that, Akihiko just let out another long sigh. He remained silent for a moment before glancing over to his junior.

"About Akane, is she…" He trailed off, thinking of the right words to say but ended up shaking his head slightly. "Uh, never mind. Sorry to bother you Takeba." And with that, he took off as well, leaving Yukari standing in wonder, her eyebrows tied together into a knot.

"What's with those two?" The brunette mumbled to herself, shaking her head slightly. She knew there's something going on as her best friend was acting weird whenever she saw Akihiko. Yukari let out a soft sigh, there was no use thinking about it now. She would ask Hikaru once she met up with her in the classroom later.

Thinking that, Yukari decided to head toward the classroom. All the while, she was pondering over one topic, how she should ask Hikaru about all this and get the information without fail.

* * *

P.S. *sighs* University works are making me so tired, even too tired to ramble as much as usual so I guess I'll just go on to the answering reviews section. Sorry if I may seems to be less talkative, homeworks and assignments are getting into my head and stole all my time away. Well, at least I'm able to get some free time to write huh? *laughs dryly* Well, please wish me luck in getting through my work :3

Now, onto answering reviews!

**pchan17**: Hehe, thank you for forgiving me. Now I'm back to my normal speed. Hopefully I'd be able to keep this speed for future chapters as well, wish me luck! I'm quite surprised myself about a lot of review, it make me so happy. But for you to support me from the first chapter until now, it also made me very happy as well! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter ^^

**Whiteheaven**: Oh, so you were the one who voted 'either of them'. Lols, I gotta tell you, you were the only one voted that choice. I see you're leaning toward Shinji now, hehe. I think the morning kiss in this chapter might make you fall for him even more, lols. Well, don't forget that the major drama is coming and Aki would have his major role later on though x3 But at least I put in some Shinji's fluff in this chapter as well, I hope you'll like it!

**carrieclamp**: Lols, I'm happy to know that you like the previous chapter! It's so hard to find the opportunity to get Shinji all loving and caring, but I managed to add some Shinji's fluff into this chapter as well! I hope you'll like it.

And about my drawings, I'm glad you like it! I did attempt on drawing Shinji as well but haven't gotten around to scan it yet. I hope I'll be able to scan it and post it along with my next chapter as well, so pls look forward to it ^^ Also, I wanna see your drawings as well! I'll waiting :3 Thank you again for your review and support!

**Moonlight and Music**: Ah, I'm glad you like Chapter 13. Shinji's soft side is just so sweet isn't he? (Or that's what I tried to make him that is.) I'm happy to know that you like how I portray Shinji's kind side and I'm also glad you like my drawings xD. I did attempt to draw Shinji (in my own style though) but I didn't have time to scan it yet. I will, eventually. For now, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and a little Shinji's fluff I inserted here as well. :3

**Cielle's Amour**: Lols, I'm happy to see that you like Chapter 13. Since you're Shinji's fan, I hope that a little Shinji in this chapter would make you happy as well x3 Well, I gotta say you do have a point about smoking. Maybe it's just me, but somehow the image of him smoking kinda fits his grumpy/bad guy side of him. But yeah, you're right that he's a health-maniac. Maybe I'll have Hikaru tease him about this somewhere in future chapters, thank you for the idea x3 I hope you'll like this chapter too.

**Deidara'sgirl19**: Oh, I'm so glad you like it! I was waiting for an opportunity to deepen the relationship between Shinji and Hikaru without the love scene. So Chapter 13 was good timing. I hope that you'll enjoy a little teaser and Shinji's fluff I inserted into this chapter as well.

And about your story, yup, I did read your Chapter 6. I have to tell you that I like how you portray FeMC and Shinji together. You really captured their characteristics very well. I was quite surprised that she actually 'got' raped. (As I was expecting that Shinji would be there in time, but it was very emotional and an important turn of event in your story.) I'm looking forward to see how their relationship and affection will be developed later on. :3

**(Nameless reviewer)**: Yup, here I am posting more of my story! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too! I'm glad that you review and support me again. (Though I gotta say it'll be better if you enter a name so I could recognize you, but still, I do remember you since you're very unique with no name xD. Nameless reviewer, hehe.)

**TifaStrifeinlove**: Heheh, hello there! Thank for reviewing again, I was thinking 'where is she?' in Chapter 12 as I didn't see you review. But now you're back, yay! *gives a big hug to welcome back* Well, I don't want to spoil you for the ending (and part of it because I'm still not 100% sure who'll end up with Hikaru in the end) but I could tell you now that major drama is just around the corner, don't forget to prepare for it x3! But for now, I hope that you'll enjoy little Shinji fluff I added in this chapter as well! Thank you for your support ^^

P.S. Oh, I'm glad you like it! I attempted to draw Shinji as well (in my own style of drawing, of course.) but I didn't have time to scan it yet. Hopefully I'll be able to post it along with the next chapter :3

**Mihaellawliet**: Hehe, I'm glad you like Shinji's fluff in Chapter 13. There's a little fluff in this chapter too. Well, about the naughty part, I did consider to write some teasers as well, but all I manage to get out were kissing scenes (which I tried to make it more passionate every time I wrote) I never write about self-touching before though, so I'm kinda afraid that it'll come out all weird and awkward. (I even think some of my kissing scenes are a bit awkward.) I want your opinion on this, about my style in writing passionate scene and about how you think all my attempt at kissing scene were. Well, let me know what you think, okay? If it's not awkward in your eyes, maybe if I attempt at 'more' passionate scene, it might not be that awkward as I fear. Lols. Anyway, thank you for your opinion and support!

**dotte**: Well, you could look it up in the dictionary because I totally suck at giving definition =w= But it's like an evil smile or something like that. Thank you for the review though :3

**maYaah**: Yay! Another Aki's fan, welcome! I hope you'll enjoy my story and my newest chapter as well! *hands you a cookie*


	16. Chapter 15 Limit

***Personal Note: I made an attempt to draw Shinji and posted it on the website. You can find the link to the drawing at the end of the chapter, before answering reviews section. Thank you.***

**Author's Note: **Again! Thank you for reading my story and continue to read onto Chapter 15! I still can't believe I've written 15 chapters, it feels like a lot to me! This is thanks to all your readers' reviews and supports! Thank you again, I really appreciated them.  
I'm sorry for a little delay on the update though, I've been very busy. Yes, university works and assignments again. I'm very sorry about the delay.  
Now, small brief for this chapter, well, Shinji didn't get to appear in this chapter, but I did torture Aki a lot, lols. Also, the drama is just starting, more drama await in the next chapter, so this is just an appetizer, lols.  
Well, since I have a report due tomorrow, I won't keep you here any longer, here's Chapter 15! I hope you'll like it!  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

* * *

**Chapter 15 Limit**

**Classroom 2-F – After Lunchtime**

"What's going on with you and Sanada-senpai?" The direct and straightforward question made Hikaru almost choked on the chocolate bar she was eating. Of course, she was surprised about why Yukari even asked her that, but most of all, she decided to ask her here, in the classroom filled with students. Luckily, Junpei wasn't around to hear that.

After pondering in her own head for a while, Hikaru coughed slightly as she turned to her friend, wearing a questionable look.

"W-What's with that all the sudden?" She asked back, though she noticed that she did stutter a bit and was pretty sure that her friend had caught it as well.

"Don't give me that." Yukari sounded even more serious as she looked at her best friend in the eyes. "You were avoiding him, this morning and just before, during lunch." She stated, narrowing her eyes a little. "What's going on? I thought you said you're going to tell me if anything happened. I know there's something now, and you're not telling me."

"But I…" Hikaru paused, hesitating about what she should say and shouldn't. It wasn't like she wanted to keep a secret from her best friend, but it was hard to explain her current situation, given that Shinjiro had asked her to keep it between them. This didn't even count the fact that the situation was totally complicated right now.

"Well?" Yukari urged.

"It's not like I don't want to tell you, Yukari," the auburn-haired girl began, her voice getting serious as she tried to convey her feelings to her friend. "It's just… I'm still confused myself, I don't know what to do."

The seriousness and uneasiness that was painted across Hikaru's face caused to Yukari to pause, blinking rapidly. She knew then that her it wasn't time to kid around anymore as her best friend seemed to be troubled just talking about this. She shook her curiosity off and casted away all the teasing before putting on a serious expression.

"You know you can tell me anything, I'm your friend. I'm worried about you." This time, Yukari said with concern in her voice. She placed her hand on Hikaru's in an effort to comfort her.

"Thanks, Yukari." Hikaru replied dryly, though she felt so warm inside to know that her friend was worried and cared so much about her. "I'm sorry I can't tell you anything right now. When I clear a few things up, I'll tell you then, I promise."

"I know you will." The brunette girl smiled back and gave her friend a big hug. Hikaru just smiled gently, hugging back.

_At least I have a friend who'll be there for me… _Hikaru thought to herself. Last night, she felt so alone and hopeless. She couldn't even calm herself down if it wasn't for Theodore being there for her. But now, even though she couldn't tell Yukari what was going on, the worry and concern she received from the girl was enough to put all her worries at ease, at least for now. Friendship really was an important treasure.

Both of them let go after a while. They exchanged bright smiles which full of friendship and care, though they were forced to turn their attention toward the front of the class as the teacher came into the classroom.

And the class began.

**After School**

It was probably the first time Hikaru felt that the time she spent in classes, studying, passed by so quickly. One of the reasons might due to her anxiousness and worry for what she would do after school had ended. If she was at school, at least she would have businesses to attend to or something that would keep her mind off the complicated issue in her head. Also, Akihiko couldn't come up and talk to her as they were in different years. Again, it was the first time she was grateful about that as well.

"Hikaru, I have club activities today, so I guess I can't walk home with you," Yukari said as she approached her friend. "Are you going to be okay by yourself?"

"Hey, just because I'm sick doesn't mean I'm hopeless." Hikaru gave a smile, laughing softly. "I'll be fine, just go. Don't worry about me, I'm totally fine." She nodded to strengthen her words and swung her bag over her shoulder. "I'll see you back at the dorm."

With a faint smile, Yukari waved goodbye before taking off, exited the classroom. Now that she was alone, Hikaru let out a soft sigh. Though she said all those things for Yukari not to worry too much about her, she was kind of troubled by the thought of going back alone.

Hikaru sighed again, just where was Junpei when she needed him. Knowing that it would be pointless to fret over it too much, the leader of S.E.E.S. gripped on her bag strap, gathered her books and headed out of the classroom. There were a few students along the hallway as she made her way downstairs, all the while praying to whatever powers above for her not to run into _him _now.

She was too deep in thought, or in praying, to be precise, to keep her attention at where she was going. And of course, she bumped into someone, quite hard, actually. It caused all her books and notes to fall all over the floor. She hissed, thinking that today couldn't get any worse than this.

And she was wrong.

"I'm so sorry!" She stated without looking up as she bent down to collect her stuffs that were scattered all over. Hikaru let out a soft sigh in frustration, but was forced to halt as her hand touched with another in an attempt to grab her notebook.

"We haven't run into each other in a while, huh?" The deep, familiar voice made Hikaru freeze. She looked up, only to see those pair of grey eyes staring at her kindly. She flinched, feeling her own heart raced up. Of course it had to be _him_. And there she was, thinking this day couldn't get any worse than this, seemed like it just did.

"H-Hello, Sanada-senpai." Hikaru heard herself saying that. She wasn't even aware how formal she sounded and that she addressed him with his last name.

Both Akihiko's eyebrows rose up at the words. He then narrowed his eyes, displeased.

"You're calling me that again." He stated in a stern voice, causing the girl to gulp slightly. Somehow, she felt a chill run down her spine all of the sudden. Ignoring the tone of his voice and even the words themselves, she forced out a smile.

"Ah, I'm sorry, senpai. I'm in quite a hurry." She told him, trying her best not to look at him in the eyes and swiftly gathered all her belonging on the floor. The brunette rose to her feet once again, still not meeting his gaze. "I have a business to attend to, so if you'll excuse me…" Saying that, she bowed slightly and immediately rushed out of there as fast as she could.

Though Akihiko quickly reached out to grab her wrist in order to stop her from running away from him, being a leader that Hikaru was, she managed to dash to the side, successfully dodged his hand in the same way she dodged a Shadow's attack. She flashed him a quick, apologetic glance before making her escape, leaving him with no chance to prevent her from doing so.

Akihiko could only let out a long sigh, frustrated at himself for not be able to stop her. He pressed his lips together and another long sigh escaped. He knew that she needed time and it wasn't like he wanted to force her feelings or anything, but it hurt him to see her avoiding him like this. He was always a straightforward person. He spoke his mind and acted his thoughts, so it was quite difficult for him to be in a situation like this, even though it was him that brought it upon himself. Akihiko sighed deeply again, bringing his hand up to massage his temple.

It was no use thinking about it now, she needed time. Once she felt better about all this, she would eventually face him again.

Or so he thought.

* * *

**One week later**

**Akihiko's classroom – After School**

It was too much.

Akihiko thought to himself as he remained at his desk, staring out the window. He never thinks that he was a patient person, but most of the time, he would manage his own emotions and feelings quite well and be able to kept them inside if he wanted to. However, not this time. For the past week, Hikaru had been avoiding him and if he had something to say about that, he'd say it was getting worse and worse.

Since the day he ran into her just after school, he didn't even get a chance to talk to her at all. The best he could get out of the week was saying 'hello' to her when they passed each other at the dorm. She sure knew how to keep the distance and not giving him a chance to bring a certain topic up.

He rarely saw her at school. There were once or twice he spotted her talking to Yukari or Fuuka about something. She looked serious, but the second she caught a sight of him, she was gone before he could even approach her. And if he went to her classroom at lunchtime, he would never find her there. Yukari would say something like 'she had something to do' or 'she took off before I could ask her anything.'

Of course, at first he thought that he would get a chance to talk to her at the dorm. But once again, he was wrong. She managed to keep a distance between him and herself very effectively by hanging around with Aigis and Shinjiro. Now that he thought about it, she sure spent some time with Shinjiro a lot more than she used to, not that he disliked it or anything, but somehow, seeing them together caused a sharp pain in his heart.

Even in Tartarus, she would never pick him to accompany her. She always came up with excuses and reasons for him not to go with her. And unfortunately, her reasons seemed rational to everyone. Was it only him that felt like she was making up excuses just to avoid him? At least he knew Yukari was thinking the same thing as he was, but she didn't have power to argue over their leader. And of course, she had to pick Shinjiro every time they went to Tartarus. He knew his best friend was strong and reliable, but with what she was doing to him, he couldn't help but felt as if he was neglected.

Akihiko clenched his hand into a fist at the thought of Shinjiro being able to protect her while he could only watch her getting further and further away from him. He knew she needed time to adjust everything that happened, but to avoid him like this, he would not have it. He had been patient for a whole week and endured every feeling he had up until now, but he had reached his limit. He knew that if he allowed this to go on, she would just get even further away from him and eventually out of his reach. He won't allow that to happen. Even if she were to hate him, he had to confront her about it.

Thinking that, Akihiko took one deep breath and started walking, he had a clear destination in mind.

* * *

**Gekkoukan High Rooftop**

Hikaru closed the large and heavy door behind her and let out a soft sigh. She finally had sometime alone without having to worry that she would run into a certain someone. The leader of S.E.E.S. walked over to sit on the bench, her ruby eyes gazed out into the distance, observing the view of the town.

It had been one week since she started to avoid Akihiko. It was one of the most difficult tasks for her to do since she was a friendly and cheerful person. Having to avoid someone, especially when that someone could make her heart beat so fast just by looking at her, it was just too hard and too tiring.

It wasn't like it didn't hurt her to avoid him like this. It did hurt her, her heart and her soul, a lot actually. She couldn't describe how much it pain her to see the look in his eyes when she turned his offer down or keeping a distance between them. Even so far away, she could still see agony in his eyes and it was killing her. She didn't want to do this. She was a type of person who face the problem directly, or at least she would attempt to, but she couldn't do that this time. Not when her heart was shaken just by looking into those grey eyes of his.

The brunette let out another long sigh. She hated the current situation and she knew that she shouldn't be avoiding him, it would just make everything worse, but she couldn't help it. Even though she knew full well of what she should do and had already made her decision in the Velvet Room, it wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. She was fully aware it would be best to be with Shinjiro, the man she chose to fall for at the first place, but she couldn't stop her heart from pounding so fast when those grey eyes gazed upon her.

Every time she saw Akihiko and looked deep into those eyes, she could see the feelings he kept inside, the feelings she used to pretend to be oblivious about. But after that one kiss, that one moment she connected with him so strongly, there was no use denying it, all his feeling and emotion were transferred to her heart directly. She could no longer go on pretending she didn't know about it.

The sound of heavy door closing snapped Hikaru back to reality. She turned around and unconsciously rose to her feet. Her crimson eyes widened and she felt her heart clenched tightly at the sight. Her heartbeat rose once again, and this time, she didn't think it would slow down as easily.

"Sanada-senpai!"

* * *

P.S. Yes, I'm evil just like that. Another evil cliffhanger, lols. But this is for the best, so I could give you a heads up to prepare for some drama in next chapter!

Also, I got bored during class again so as I promised, I attempted to draw Shinjiro as well. It came out okay, but since it's in my drawing style (It's too hard to draw in P3P style, so I just draw how I see Shinji in my head.) and here it is!

**i142(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/r103/doreamonfon/My%20Drawings/Shinjiro-Closeup(dot)jpg**

**Don't forget to replace the (dot) with actual "."**

Just on the personal's note, why P3/P3P artists draw Shinji look like a middle age man? = = He's a high school student, dammit! With the way he dress and his expression (don't make me go into his 'angry' expression, he look scary as hell.) But I do like when he tilted his head and smile refreshingly, he's too damn cute, I'll give you that. Oh well, as I said, it's just my opinion and one of the reasons why I drew Shinji like that in my drawing, at least he look a lot younger, hahah.

Now, onto answering reviews!

**Whiteheaven**: Oh, I'm glad you like my drawing! I just posted another one, (this one is my attempt at Shinji) above as well, I hope you'll like that too! Also I'm happy you like the previous chapter, well, this one is a continuity of previous chapter. And guess what, Aki is still being tortured, lols! I'm evil, hahah. But I have to say I'm happy to see you like me torturing Aki as well, hehe, we're both evil aren't we? X3

**carrieclamp**: Yay! I'm glad you like my version of Shinji, hehe. I tried to bring out his soft and kind side as much as possible. I'm sorry for a little delay in this chapter though, but here it is! I hope you'll like this chapter as well. (Though Shinji didn't make his appearance.) And I'll be waiting for your drawing! For now, I hope you'll like my attempt at drawing Shinji I posted above as well! :3 Thank you for your support!

**TifaStrifeinlove**: Hehe, well, of course I missed you! I remember usual reviewers and I would always looking forward to receive reviews from you guys x3 If any of them were missing, I'd thought, 'oh where is she this chapter? I hope she's still reading my story' Hahah. Oh well, you're a Shinji's fan so maybe you won't like this chapter as much as the previous one, but don't worry! I have a little drawing of Shinji posted above so make up for that, hehe! I hope you'll like the picture, pls let me know what you think, okie? And "Walls of Shinjiro"? That sounds awesome, hahah XD! Thank you again for your review!

**Mihaellawliet**: Oh, thank you. It made me feel a lot better than you like how I write passionate scene. I'm planning and thinking about how should I write Shinji and Hikaru lovescene (prior to Oct 4th). I'm so afraid it would not come out as good, but I'll try! I'm planning ahead of what I should write in that scene, and I'm having quite difficulties as well, I'm telling you xD Haha, and about touching themselves, I may write a one-shot on that one day, but right now, I'll have to get through the love scene alive xD

**Deidara'sgirl19**: Lols, I'm glad you like my Shinji's fluff! Maybe this chapter would make you feel more sorry for Aki? xD Well, he'd been tortured (by me) a lot, so I think it's time for him to get some more actions. I posted my drawing of Shinji above as well (it's my drawing style, which I think doesn't look like Shinji, hahah) Well, I hope you'll like the drawing as well as the chapter too!

Also, I had a chance to take a quick read on your Chapter 7 as well and I have to say that I love it! The little romance between Minako and Shinji is great! You're improving a lot! I'm so impressed! And wow! You already had your ending decided? You're opposite of me, I had the middle part planned out but I have no idea what to do with the ending, hahah.

**Cielle's Amour**: Hehe, I'm glad you like my Shinji's fluff! Sadly he didn't make his appearance this chapter though, I just tortured Aki some more xD I love your Aki though, so funny and make me laugh every time! I've read your new story and see your drawing as well, it's great! I made an attempt at drawing Shinji and posted it above, I hope you'll like it as well. Well, thank you again for the review and support, I'm also looking forward to your update x3.

**Sha Moli**: Ooh, welcome another new reader/reviewer! *hands you a cookie* Hehe, oh well, Aki is a bit forceful because I tortured him too much I think, lols. But great to know that you're Shinji's fan. Welcome again! Thank you for your support and review! And about Theo, yeah, he's great, but it can't happen, so sad right?

**Shylien7765**: Oh! Hello and welcome back! I haven't seen you reviewing in past few chapters so I was wondering if you're still reading/keeping up with my story. Glad to know that you're still here ^^ *hands you a cookie as a welcome back* I'm glad you like Aki, though I did torture him a lot in previous and this chapter as well. He'll get more actions later on, pls wait and see! I'm sorry for a little delay in the update though! But thank you again for your review and support!

**pchan17**: LOLS! I totally forgot about Morning Breath, though it'd totally ruin the moment of 'Morning Kiss' though, lols. I just need to insert some fluff in previous chapter since I'll be torturing in this chapter again. I hope you'll like this chapter and my drawing of Shinji above as well! Thank you for your continuous support ^^

**Moonlight and Music**: Lols! Yes! That was my intention as well, to have Yukari teasing Hikaru about the wrong guy. (Which she had no idea that relationship between Hikaru and Shinji had developed to a certain level, hahah.) But it's not really a wrong guy since Hikaru does have feeling for Aki too. Hehe, well, Shinji didn't get to appear in this chapter but I drew him! I hope you'll like my drawing and this chapter of me torturing Aki some more. Lols, yes, she had to confront him, like, next chapter, of course x3

**jory014**: Oh, hi there! I haven't seen you in past few chapters so I just figured that you might be very busy, yes? Anyway, I'm glad you're back and I'm sorry for a little delay in updating. Lols, yeah, I know how you feel, Aki's fan. This chapter is devoted to Aki though, but I kinda tortured him, again, lols. There'll be drama in next chapter for sure (since Aki is confronting Hikaru about it, hehe, evil cliffhanger, I know) Well, I hope you'll like this chapter as well! Thank you for reviewing x3

**Tsuki Rae**: Ah! Welcome another new reader and reviewer! *hands you a cookie* And yet another Shinji's fan, hehe, welcome! This chapter has no Shinji though, but I did draw him and put up the link above, so I hope you'll like it. I just tortured Aki again in this chapter, lols. Thank you for your support and review! I'll update soon!


	17. Chapter 16 Confession

**Author's Note: **As always, thank you for taking your free time to read my story and continue to read onto Chapter 16! University works and assignments still eating my time away but I always try to find some time to write and finish another chapter of this story, thanks to all supports and reviews you guys provided for me. I can't say thank you enough, but still, thank you so much, I really appreciated them.  
Now, briefing for this chapter. There's no absolute definition/genre for this chapter though since it's kind of a mixture of many things, involving drama(mainly), emotions/angst and little fluff at the end to ease some seriousness and intenseness in this whole chapter. Oh, and I forgot to mention the main role, it's Akihiko, obviously.  
Well, I just got back from university so I guess I'll have to end this briefing here. Tons of works and assignments are waiting for me, so I won't keep you here any longer. Here's Chapter 16! I hope you all will enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it as well!**  
**As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

* * *

**Chapter 16 Confession**

**Gekkoukan High Rooftop**

"Sanada-senpai!" Hikaru exclaimed, her eyes widened in surprise. While the silver-haired man walked across the area to the girl, his feet stopped upon the sight of her taking a step away from him. The expression on his face was unreadable. Hikaru had never seen him this serious and tense before.

"It's Akihiko." He said sharply, looking deep into her crimson eyes. Hikaru felt her heart skipped a beat just by him staring at her. The boxer took another step closer. "Why are you avoiding me?"

"I…" was all Hikaru managed to get out at the moment. She pressed her lips together and averted her gaze, how could she answer him?

"Don't look away from me." His voice was clearer than before, but she still kept her eyes to the side. She then heard a soft sigh. "What's wrong? Tell me, why are you avoiding me?"

"Don't do this, Sanada-senpai…" Hikaru forced herself to look at him once again; there was a pain in her eyes. Once she said those words, Akihiko was in front of her in an instant. Hikaru gasped in surprise, totally didn't expect this sudden move of his. Before she could say or even respond to that, he grabbed of both her wrists and held them up to the same level as his chest, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"My name's Akihiko." He corrected her again, his voice still as sharp. "You're calling me by my last name on purpose, aren't you? To keep this distance between you and me."

"Let me go, senpai!" She protested, trying to back away and release her wrists from his hands. Unfazed by her reaction, the senior took a good grip on both her wrists, telling her that he won't let go. It was then she realized how strong he really was, her effort and struggling was useless. When it came to physical strength, she was no match for him. However, she was also aware that he had no intention to hurt her. Even though he was holding her wrists, she could tell that he made an effort to make sure he didn't squeeze them too hard.

"I won't, not until you answer me," he said in a strong voice, his eyes dark with fury and anguish. He pressed his lips together for a moment, trying to keep his anger under control. Hurting her was the last thing he wanted to do. He blinked, letting out a heavy sigh. "Why do you have to create this distance between you and me, between _us_?"

"It's what supposed to be!" The girl replied, her voice rose as emotions were overtaking her. She no longer made an attempt to free herself from his grasp. She didn't have enough will in her heart to do so anymore. "You're my senpai and a member of S.E.E.S., nothing more."

"Liar," Akihiko responded immediately, still glaring at her. His grips on her wrists slightly tightened. "Why are you doing this to me, Hikaru…?"

"Don't… call me that.." Her voice trembled at the sound of her name. A sharp pain shot through her heart. Why was she confused? She shouldn't be like this; her heart shouldn't be shaken just by him calling her name. Still reminding herself to calm her heart, she looked down, avoiding his eyes. She heard him taking in a deep breath as if he was trying to suppress his feelings.

But she was wrong.

"I like you, Hikaru." His voice was gentle, but she could sense the seriousness in the tone. The words caused Hikaru to freeze, eyes widened in disbelief. Unconsciously, she lifted her head up to look at him, only to see the same gentle, yet determined eyes of his locking onto hers.

"What…did you say?" The leader of S.E.E.S. heard herself saying that. She wasn't sure if it was even her who said that. Her head just went blank; the sudden confession from Akihiko slowly sunk in and registered in her heart.

"You heard me," the silver-haired man replied, not taking his eyes off hers for even a second. If Hikaru wasn't in shock at the moment, she would notice that Akihiko was blushing deep red. "I like you. I always have, and always will."

It wasn't like Hikaru was unaware of his feelings. Just earlier, she was telling and reminding herself about it. But to have him telling her in person, to have him looking into her eyes and said it to her directly, it was totally different than any feelings she had experienced up until now.

"That night, at the shrine," he trailed off, recalling every bit of what happened as if it was imprinted within his soul and memory. "Don't tell me it didn't mean anything to you, because it meant so much to me." He paused, looking deep into her ruby eyes, searching for something in there, something he saw that night. It wasn't clear as it was then, but he could still see it, her feelings, buried deep in her orbs. "I know you have feelings for me. I can see it, back then and right now, in your eyes." Suddenly, sadness appeared within his gaze. "When I kissed you, it was the first time I finally understand how you feel about me, through that one kiss. But now… I don't understand…"

"…" Hikaru could only remain silent; pouring words and emotions from the man in front of her were shaking her heart. She couldn't deny him, she just couldn't.

"Right now…I don't understand why you're doing this to me… Why are you torturing me like this, when your eyes are telling me that you also feel the same?" His voice began to shake as his hands also trembled slightly. He looked into her eyes again, hurtfully this time.

"I can't…" She whispered, looking away while biting her lower lip to restrain the emotions that were swelling up inside her. "I can't do this, I already told you…"

"If so, then tell me…" He demanded in a deep voice, cutting her off. The abrupt change of his tone surprised Hikaru a bit. "Tell me, here and now, that you don't like me." He pulled back slightly to give her some space, though still holding onto her wrists. The request forced Hikaru to turn to him, eyes widened, though she could tell that he also was fighting back his own feelings as well.

"W-What?" She asked in a faint voice, couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Look at me in the eyes, and tell me, that you don't like me. Tell me right here, right now, that you never have feelings for me, and that you never will." Akihiko repeated his request in a sharp voice. Despite his effort to keep the expressionless mask on his face, Hikaru was able to catch a hint of sadness and pain in his grey eyes.

"I…" Once again, Hikaru found herself unable to respond or come up with anything to reply to him. She could only look away, onto the ground. The fact that she couldn't accept his feelings, nor she was able to deny it, was tormenting her. She wanted to be with him, to make him happy, to be his girl, knowing full well that it was impossible. She couldn't give all her heart and her feelings to him, half of her heart belonged to him, but another half belonged to Shinjiro. Also, she couldn't tell him or explain to him why she was unable to accept his feelings, and that tortured her even more.

Hikaru bit her lip at the thought, holding back the burning sensation in her eyes. She was shaking, from all the emotion that was washing over her. Pain, guilt, sadness, agony, everything was eroding her heart.

Seeing her reaction, Akihiko slowly loosened his grips on her wrists. Though he was still holding onto them, the touch was much gentler than before. The warmth from his gloved hands brought Hikaru's eyes up to meet with his.

"Hey," he said softly, the way he looked at her had changed, from an intense glare to a gentle gaze. "I never want to hurt your feelings and it's not like I'm forcing you to accept mine." He explained in a kind voice, bringing his left hand up and gently caressed her face with his finger. "I only asked for you to acknowledge my feelings.. Is that too much to ask?"

The words caused Hikaru to flinch, eyes widened as she looked into his eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her body started to tremble and she felt as if something had pierced through her heart and soul. They were those words, those exact words she said to Shinjiro, that night, under the moonlight.

'_You can't let anyone know about this. I'm just a nobody. I can't be your lover or ask you to be mine. Why would you want to give your heart to someone like me?'_

'_I didn't ask you to be my lover, nor did I ask to be yours.'_

'_I only asked for you to acknowledge my feelings.. Is that too much to ask?'_

_Why! Why did he have to say that, of all words! _Hikaru shouted mentally, breathing hard. She wanted to run away, to get far away from here as possible. She knew what he was going to say next, but once again, she didn't have a will in her heart to stay away from him anymore. She couldn't deny him, or her own heart any further.

"You don't have to give me anything in return," Akihiko added, unaware that the words made Hikaru's heart feel so torn from both pain and sadness. "I don't want to trouble you, so I won't let anyone know about my feelings, I swear. Just… let me be there for you… and protect you…"

Hikaru felt the bottom of her eyes burning; tears were swelling up as she was trying her best to force them back. It hurt so much to hear all these from him, because she knew how he felt, she knew full well how hard it must be for him to gather enough courage to say all this, given that she had once said them herself, to Shinjiro. And, even though he said he didn't want anything in return, deep inside, his heart must be suffering a great deal, even greater pain than she received back then. Because at that time, Shinjiro did accept her feelings, but right now, she couldn't. She couldn't accept or deny his request, and this must be killing him, slowly and painfully.

Akihiko released her wrist to take one of her hands into his grasp, holding it gently, implying that he meant every word he had said. Hikaru could see the determination in his eyes, he was serious and his feelings were real. His expression was torturing her heart, but what tormenting her even more was the fact that she was unable to push him away and deny him outright. It was no use, half of her heart belonged to him, and right now, that part of her was taking control of her body. The part that was longing for his warmth, his touch, had made the will to resist him dissolve into nothing. It was guilt and another half of her heart, which belonged to Shinjiro, that was stopping her from embracing the man in front of her. It stopped her from falling into his arms and kissed him, to feel his lips on her once more.

For the fourth time, Hikaru found herself only able to look away from him without saying a word. She couldn't deal with this right now. Her heart was so torn and she couldn't think straight. Her mind was clouded by all the feelings that were overwhelming her. She bit her lower lip, trying to use the physical pain to restrain her emotions.

Seeing that, Akihiko slowly loosened his hand that was holding her. He took another step back but still keeping his eyes on hers. His face was kind and gentle, just like he always was. He couldn't stand seeing her suffer, he'd do anything to make that go away; he had promised himself so.

"You don't have to answer right away," he broke the silence between them; his voice was soft and gentle, as if he was trying to comfort her. It caused Hikaru to glance back at him in wonder. "I told you before, I don't want to hurt your feelings or force you to do anything." He took a pause; a faint blush appeared on his face. "If you would let me stay by your side and protect you, just like this, it's more than enough." Another pause, followed by a soft inhale. "I'll always wait for you…" He said softly, giving her a kind smile before his serious expression was back. He looked deep into her crimson eyes, tightened his grip on her hand slightly. "I like you, Hikaru."

His voice was strong and determined. Though she was still confused about all this, Hikaru was stunned by the tone of his voice as much as the words themselves. It caused the familiar warmth rising in her heart, which slowly taking away her remorse and sorrow bit by bit. It was the same as that night, when he kissed her. He could easily make her forget all the grief or any unhappiness in her heart just by looking at her with that gentle gaze of his. Before she knew it, Akihiko leaned in and gave her a quick, yet loving kiss on the lips before pulling back, blushing.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it…" His face was getting a bit redder as he let go of her hand and took a step back, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. His strong and confident self disappeared into his usual gentle and caring side once more. "Don't worry about me, just… consider it, okay?" He pressed his lips together for a moment. "I'll see you at the dorm." And with that, he immediately took off without looking back, leaving Hikaru standing there, still stunned and perplexed by what just happened.

At that moment, the guilt and agony in her heart was washed away by the feelings and warmth from Akihiko's actions and words. Only that one moment, just that one instant, her heart felt nothing but warmth and gentleness of his touch, the feelings that her heart was longing for all this time.

Hikaru pressed her lips together. She brought her hand up, placing it on her chest. Her heartbeat was rising like crazy, and somehow, she couldn't stop it. Just thinking about the feel of his lips on hers, no matter how short it was, made her heart pound even faster.

She couldn't stop it, her feelings and her heart. She could no longer deny her affection toward him. No matter how hard she tried to refuse, she was forced to admit the one and only fact, which deep in her heart, she knew it had been like that, all along.

She had fallen for him, for Akihiko.

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P.S. On the personal note, I know that Akihiko is all cute, awkward and shy when it comes to girls and love(especially in the game when he's with FeMC, or Hikaru, in this case), but I couldn't stop myself. I just _love_ making Akihiko a bit forceful and sharp, it brings out the cool, dark and confident side of him, just like when he's in a battle(according to the game, of course. He is just so confident and calm when it has anything to do with fighting.) I want to bring out more of this dark and mature side of his, he's a boxing champ, after all (though I did put his cute/shy side back at the end, but that's just his character, he couldn't be too harsh on the girl he loves, right?)

_I hope you guys don't mind how I bring out this side of him and I also hope that I still managed to keep him in character, despite that fact.__ Well, I did a lot of thinking and put a lot of effort into that, __**so I'd really appreciate it if you guys could tell me or give me an opinion on what do you think about that. [In short, please let me know what you think. :3]**__ Thank you._

Now, onto answering reviews!

**pchan17**: Heheh, I'm glad you like my attempt at drawing Shinji. To be honest, at first, I made him looked quite feminine (with long hair and all), so I need to arrange his hair to be quite shaggy and added quite fierce look in his eyes, lols. Aw, I wanna see your drawings too, I hope you'll be able to show it to me later, somehow, yes? :3 Well, finally I could give Akihiko some more actions and drama. Past chapters mostly focused on Shinji (since he'll be gone very soon.) I hope that you'll like this chapter as well. And yeah, studies and university's works are quite hard, luckily I found some time to finish this chapter xD Thank you again for your continuous support!

**Shylien7765**: Okie, I gotta tell you, I totally went ROFL over your review, in a good way though, lols. (You're inserting some drama in your review also, lols. I had fun reading it, it brought a big big smile on my face, hehe.) Well, since you love drama (and Aki, right?) I'm sure you'll appreciate this chapter. I also added in some fluff at the end of the chapter too, so it's three-in-one package for you! I hope you'll enjoy it. Finally I could give Akihiko some more drama between him and Hikaru, I also had fun writing it as well. Ah, I started to ramble again, don't mind me. I hope that you'll find this chapter worth the wait :3 (Thank you for waiting and for reviewing as well!)

**Cielle's Amour**: Ah, thank you! I'm glad you like my previous chapter and also that you like my drawing as well. It's not that I don't like how P3P artists draw Shinji though, but yeah, I can't stand his 'angry-surprise-shock' or whatever that expression they meant to draw, it was scary xD But overall, yeah, I like how they draw Shinji. Well, I hope that you'll like this chapter as well. No Shinji, just some drama between Aki and Hikaru and a little touch of fluff at the end :3 Well, thanks for reviewing!

**Tsuki Rae**: Heheh, well, you're right that torture is good when used in 'small' amount. But I gotta say that I'm evil, *evil laughs* that's why I love to torture the characters in my story so much. Don't worry though, I hate Bad Ending, so I'm assuring you that my story *will* have a Happy Ending (though I'm still not sure which side will be happy =w=). Again, no Shinjiro in this chapter, just Aki's drama. But I still hope that you'll be able to find this chapter enjoyable though :3 Thank you for your support!

**tsuki-no-usagi-kaguya-hime**: *laughs* Hahah, really, I laughed so hard just by reading your review. Thank you for that, having something to laugh about is good when I'm stressed out by all the works and assignments from university. Anyway, don't summon Nyx xD I'll bring her into my story, eventually, pls wait. And you were totally right, Aki is totally emotional in this chapter and yay, more drama and actions for him too! I hope you'll like this chapter as much as the others. Thank you for your review ^^

**Sha Moli**: Oh, so you're not a new reader then, lols. But that doesn't matter, I'm still glad that you like my story and that you decided to review x3 (which still make you a new reviewer, hehe, I love reviews.) Ah, even though you said you tend to be Shinji's fan, I'm still hoping that after reading this chapter, you could lean a little toward Aki, no? (I know he's a bit forceful, but he had no intention to hurt Hikaru or her feelings though.) It's just that I have to give major/early role mostly to Shinji before Aki because of the 'incident' in the game (which will happen in my story, soon enough.) After that, Aki would get a major role too. You can look forward to it :3 Anyway, thank you for your support and review!

**carrieclamp**: Yay! I'm so happy that you like how I draw Shinji. xD You review/comment made me lols a little. Yes, I did intend to make him look a bit annoyed, it just made him a lot cooler, didn't it? xD Also, I'm glad you enjoy my previous chapter. This chapter is a mixture of drama, emotional and fluff! I hope that you'll like it as well! Thank you for your review x3

**Lesty**: Oh, hello! Welcome back! *hands you a cookie* Wow, I haven't seen you reviewing in quite few chapters back so I was wondering if you still keep up with my story or not. Glad to know and you're still here and that you like my chapters! X3 *gives you a hug* This chapter is all for Aki, drama, emotions and a little fluff at the end, I hope that you'll like it! (well, I don't mind short review, I'll be more than happy to know that you like which chapter or not, but anyway, thank you again for your support ^^)

**pmch**: Hello! And welcome back! *hands you a cookie* I noticed you reviewed my story once and were gone for a while. I was a bit curious but I'm glad to see that you're still following my story! Thank you very much for your support! This chapter is devoted to Aki. A lot of drama, emotions and slight touch of fluff at the end, since you're Aki's fan, I'm sure you'll like this chapter. Pls let me know if I'm right or not xD Thank you again for your review!

**Deidara'sgirl19**: Ah, well, I did tortured Aki a lot already, so I guess I'll have to give him some actions and drama, won't I? xD But still, I'm glad that you like the previous chapter. From now on, the major drama is going to start and it will *of course* involving Shinjiro as well, so you could look forward to that :3

I just read your newest chapter, it's a bit short, but it's a great opening for the major event later, right? And about them making out, I gotta admit, I do have some fantasies about that as well, but I don't have enough will to actually write it out xD I'm so embarrassed just thinking about it.

Ah, I never played Persona 4 before. To be honest, P3P is the only Persona game I've ever played so far. I'm planning to write a sequel to this story myself, but it's still not 100% confirm that I'll write it, it's just an idea floating in my head. (Also since I don't play any other Persona games, writing a sequel might be hard for my knowledge only based on P3P) But still, I'm looking forward to see the new chapter of your story and your sequel as well! :3

**jory014**: Ah, don't worry! It's no big deal, but I'm glad that you're back now. (and I hope you did well on your exam, maybe a bit too late of that but still xD) Well, here's an Aki chapter for you! It's kind of a package deal chapter though, it contains drama, emotions and little fluff at the end (as you wished for sweet moments, so I kinda tried to add it in, hehe) I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter as I intended when I wrote it, for Aki's fans, lols. Well, thank you for your support and review! :3

**furubaluva4ever**: Ah, welcome another new reader/reviewer! *hands you a cookie* It always makes me so happy to see any new reader enjoying my story. Thank you for your review and support! And also thank you very much for the compliment, if you can't stop reading, then don't xD I'll do my best to update as soon as possible, so you could look forward to it! I won't let you down! Well, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well, thank you again for the review :3


	18. Chapter 17 Unspeakable

**Author's Note:** And of course! Thank you for reading my story and continue to read onto Chapter 17! It's hard to believe I could write a story (that is not in my native language) for this long. All this thanks to all of you, readers, reviewers and supporters out there and always support me and keep me going. All reviews and supports are very precious energy source of mine, thank you again. I'll do my best.  
Now, to brief you on this chapter, since previous chapter was all about Aki getting emotional and cute, I'm putting Shinji back on his role for this chapter. It contains mostly minor emotional scenes between Hikaru and Shinji. Also some romantic phrases from Shinji as well. Not much to say here, I guess you'll have to read and find out yourself :3  
Well, I still have a lot of assignments and homework to deal with, so I'll end this here, early as usual. So, here's Chapter 17 of this dramatic/emotional/love-triangle/angst/heart-warming and fluffy story of mine. I hope you'll like it!  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

P.S. Wow, I just realized that this story/fanfic could be categorized in so many genres xD Anyway, moving on!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

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**Chapter 17 Unspeakable**

**Gekkoukan High Front Gate – After School**

Hikaru was walking down the stairs and made her way out of the school, or she thought she was. She couldn't concentrate on what she was doing at all. Her heart felt heavy and there was an uneasy feeling in her stomach, which she couldn't explain what it was, and she wouldn't bother to try.

Another long and heavy sigh escaped her mouth and she found herself wandering with no destination. Somehow, she had reached the school's front gate without knowing it. The brunette couldn't help but let out yet another sigh, never in a million years had she thought her life would be this complicated, or that_ love_ could be this complicated.

Her feet came to halt at the thought, the sudden flash of the word '_love_.' Hikaru had never experience love before, or even feel affectionate toward anyone for that matter. The feeling she had and the way she felt toward _both _Akihiko and Shinjiro was all new to her, and she didn't even sure if this feeling was love or not.

Her feet started to move again as her thought flowed deeper into the topic which she was totally unfamiliar with. She shook her head slightly, trying to get her mind straight and focus on where she was heading, after all, she didn't want to bump into someone again.

However, just when Hikaru lifted her head up and turned her attention toward the route, she immediately wished she didn't. The girl felt her breath become uneven at the sight of tall, familiar figure standing at the front gate, leaning his back against the hard surface of the concrete wall.

"S-Shinjiro-senpai?" She heard herself saying that and the other party turned his attention toward her at the sound of his name.

"Great, you're finally out," came his reply as he straightened up. His eyebrows rose at the sight of a pair of red eyes widened as if they were about to pop out of her face. "What?"

"What do you mean 'what'?" Hikaru asked back, still looked as surprised. The sudden visit made all her thoughts went totally blank. "W-What are you doing here?" She added, this maybe the first time she had ever seen him coming to school.

"Can you do that and walk? I'm sick of those idiots giving me those looks." He said bluntly and Hikaru was suddenly aware that the other students were staring at him like he was the strangest thing in the entire world.

She gave him a nod, and he immediately started walking, quicker than she expected. It took her quite some time to register what was going on before running after him, trying to catch up. She succeeded in a few seconds later.

"W-Why are you here, though, senpai?" Hikaru repeated the question, looking at him in wonder.

"Why are you so surprise? It's not like you're one of those idiots at school, who haven't seen me in years." Shinjiro scoffed, earning a pout from the girl next to him.

"I think it's surprising enough for you to come to school, senpai, even though you just standing at the front gate." Hikaru teased back. For a moment, she completely forgot about the heavy weight in her heart. Being with Shinjiro (or arguing with him, to be more precise) always made her day so much brighter and she'd forget about anything that was troubling her.

Shinjiro simply chuckled, amused. "Fine," he said in defeat, knowing that this argument would last for the entire way back to the dorm if he didn't stop it right here. "I had some business to take care of around here. It finished early, so I figured I'd just drop by."

It took Hikaru another few seconds for the words to sink in. She blinked once, her eyes still focused on his face.

"So you were…waiting for me?" The brunette said in a soft voice and a faint blush immediately appeared on Shinjiro's face.

"I-It's not like that, dumbass!" He stuttered, his face turning even redder. "I said I had some business to take care of. Couldn't you at least listen to a word I'm saying?"

His reaction made Hikaru smile brightly. She was trying her best not to giggle, though Shinjiro was totally aware of what she was thinking. He looked away, letting out a soft sigh but said nothing to that, knowing it would be best to keep quiet if he didn't want to get any mocking from her right now.

A comfortable silence fell between them as they made their way to the station. Even after they got off the train and walked along the familiar road, the silence still continued. Hikaru didn't mind it since lately, her life had been so busy that it was nearly impossible to get any peaceful moment with Shinjiro.

Meanwhile, Shinjiro was also deep in thoughts, but on a very different topic. To be honest, he was in quite a bad mood due to what happened before Hikaru came out of the school. He had no intention of telling her, of course. Just thinking about it made the anger that had already calmed down rose up inside him once again, but his mind went back to it nonetheless.

_He was standing near the school gate, it had been a very long while since he last paid a visit there and frankly, he wouldn't bother to come back again if it wasn't for a certain someone. As he expected, he gained quite a few pairs of eyes glaring at him. He was unconcerned about it, however, given that it happened every time, back when he used to come all the way here to find Aki. Things would go smoothly without any problem if it wasn't for his sharp senses. He overheard two underclassmen talking to each other, which he wouldn't care less if the mention of someone's name hadn't caught his ears._

"_What? You're going to ask Hikaru-chan out? Oh, man, I was thinking about asking her out myself!" One of the two boys said, causing Shinjiro to turn his full attention toward the conversation._

"_Yeah, she's so cute. I heard she's still single, so maybe I'll have a chance!" Another boy responded to his friend, still unaware of an intense glare from sharp brown eyes._

"_She's very friendly too. I think she won't refuse if we invite her out on a group date or something. That way, we both could try and see who'll win her heart."_

_And those sentences did the trick. Shinjiro snapped out of his usual unsocial personality and darted over to them in an instant. His sudden action caused both of the boys to jump a bit._

"_Don't you dare lay a finger on Akane." He said sharply, but of course, there was no way those boys would listen, not at first, that is._

"_Whoa? W-Who do you think you are-!" The boy was forced to swallow the remaining words as Shinjiro casted them a deadly glance. His eyes and face was dreadful, and it was more than enough to silence the two boys without him having to say anything more._

"_Don't even think about that again, got it?" Both of them nodded rapidly and once he glanced upward as if to tell them to 'get lost', they complied obediently and was gone long before he could even notice. Shinjiro let out a long sigh. He never was a jealous or possessive person, but when it came to Hikaru, he couldn't bear the thought of those brats coming up and asked her out. She was so pure and innocent, far too good for them, or maybe, even for_ him.

"Shinjiro-senpai?" The soft voice from the person in topic snapped him back to reality. He blinked several times to clear his head and glanced over to the brunette. "Are you okay?"

"Tch, I'm fine." Shinjiro replied, feeling quite grateful when he managed to keep his voice even.

"Um…" The sound that escaped her lips caused him to turn his head toward her again. She was hesitating just a bit. "I-I don't want to go back to the dorm yet. Would you mind walking with me for a little while longer?"

The request made Shinjiro's eyebrow arched up a little before a gentle smile stretched across his face. He patted her head, pushing them slightly.

"You even have to ask, idiot?" He smiled at her teasingly, taking her hand into his gasp. The action surprised Hikaru a bit, but she didn't protest. The warmth from his strong hand helped put her heart at ease as they walked together, side by side in silence.

**Naganaki Shrine**

For some reason, when there was no specific direction in mind, both Hikaru's and Shinjiro's feet led them into the shrine. Many memories and what happened at this particular place caused Hikaru to flinch slightly as they stepped into the area. Shinjiro noticed her unusual movement but decided to keep quiet about it as they both sat down on the bench, still connected with their hands.

Hikaru bit down on her lower lip, trying to restrain the emotions and so many flashbacks in her head. She kept the eyes down to the ground, taking in one deep breath and finally broke the silence.

"C-Can I ask you something?" Upon saying that, she wanted to bit her own tongue for stuttering, but maybe it was too late since she already said it. Shinjiro merely nodded as Hikaru took in another deep breath to gather enough courage to actually speak what was on her mind. "Um… Did you remember… _that night_… here? Where I…um… kind of…confessed to you…"

"Kind of?" Shinjiro said mockingly, he was totally aware of which _night _she was referring to just by the blush on her face. What surprised him more was that she made no respond to his mocking, none of the usual reaction he was expecting. He raised an eyebrow, eying at her in wonder. Hikaru took that as an encouragement to go on.

"Am I…bothering you?" She said faintly, still not looking at him, while the other party just blinked, puzzled from the question that came out of nowhere.

"Huh?" came his reply, more like a sound in his throat.

"I mean, that night, my request. Did it trouble you at all?" Hikaru made an effort to look up, meeting his gaze. And Shinjiro could have sworn that he saw somewhat a hint of pain inside those crimson eyes, though he couldn't explain why. He tried to follow what she was referring to, recalling back to what happened _that night _and a familiar voice rang through his head.

'_I only asked for you to acknowledge my feelings.. Is that too much to ask?'_

'_Just… let me fall for you… even further…'_

His eyes widened a bit, out of curiosity. "What's with this all of the sudden?" He couldn't help but ask back, giving her a questioning look.

"Nothing, it's just…" She took a pause, biting her lip as she looked down. "If I am troubling you, I don't want to do so anymore. I…don't want to bother you any further."

"O-Oy!" was what Shinjiro managed to get out at the time. His grip on her hand slightly tightened as he took a good look at her face, totally perplexed. "What's gotten into you? Why are you saying all these?"

"I…" Hikaru felt like there was a lump in her throat. She couldn't answer, or respond to him. The only thing she could do at time was avoiding his gaze. She was on the verge of crying, and even Shinjiro could sense that.

He stared at the girl next to him for a long time; neither of them had spoken a word. Hikaru kept all her feelings inside and Shinjiro was still pondering in confusion. His brows tied together into a knot, his eyes studying her face. He could tell that she was troubled, but he didn't know why. The words from earlier still confused him to no end.

"I just…don't want to cause you any more trouble," the leader of S.E.E.S. was the one who broke the silence, for the second time. She kept her eyes low, intentionally tried not to look at him, or she knew that she won't be able to stop the burning sensation in her eyes. Her other hand were on her knees as she squeezed it tightly, attempting to suppress her emotions. "That night and up until now, it's like I was forcing you to accept my feelings and forced you to spend time with me."

Shinjiro was ready to object any second, but he chose to keep quiet and listen to her. After all, he wanted to know what was the reason behind all this, or at least what was on her mind right now.

"I-I have troubled you enough. All this time, I was forcing you…to take care of me… I'm just… I'm sorry…I can't…" Her voice trembled as her body started to shake uncontrollably. She bit her lip again, trying to fight back the tears from falling. She didn't know why, but she couldn't stop shaking, and the tears wouldn't dry out as she wanted them to. Before she knew it, her body was enveloped by the familiar warmth as Shinjiro pulled her into his arms, embracing her tightly. His hand met the back of her head and he was holding it to rest on his chest. The teary crimson eyes widened in surprise.

"Tch, are you an idiot or something?" Though it was an insult, Hikaru could sense the gentleness in the tone. Shinjiro exhaled loudly. "Look, I don't know what'd gotten into you, but if I don't want to do anything, there's no freakin' way anyone or anything in the world could make me." He slowly loosened his embrace, just enough so he could look at her face.

Hikaru's eyes were covered in tears as she looked up at him, into his gaze. Seeing the perplexed look on her face, a soft chuckle left the male's throat.

"Still not clear?" He paused, smirking. "It can't be helped then." The second he said those words, his lips were already on hers in a quick, yet gentle kiss. It was only a moment, but Hikaru could sense all his feelings just from this one touch. He was still wearing a faint smile as he pulled back, grazing his thumb under her eyes to wipe her tears off, kindly. "If I didn't want to be with you, I wouldn't. I'm here because I want to be, and that means every time I'm with you."

"Shinjiro-senpai…" Hikaru called his name softly, but he simply placed a finger on her mouth to stop her words.

"I don't know what's troubling you, but you don't have to say it if you don't want to." Shinjiro told her in a gentle voice. He smiled, taking hold of her head to rest on his chest once again. "And just to be clear, no one can force me to do anything I don't want to, so everything I do when I'm with you, I do it of my own accord. You're not forcing me to do anything, got it, stupid?"

Hikaru merely nodded as a respond and received a tender caress from him. She pressed her lips together, listening to the faint sound of his heartbeat. His touch caused familiar feeling rising in her heart, but also a sharp pain at the same time.

The leader of S.E.E.S. smiled hurtfully, tears streaming down her face. She bit down on her lower lip, hard enough for her to taste the bitterness of her blood. She was holding back her sobs as silent tears continued to overflow.

She couldn't do it… She couldn't choose between them… She couldn't hurt either of them…

_What should I do?_

_This heart… This feeling… It's unspeakable…_

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P.S. Okay, I'll be rambling on about my life here a little. First, I have to inform all of you that my Midterm Exams are coming in less than 3 weeks. For those who don't know, I'm a 2nd year university student. I enrolled in BBA and majoring in Finance. Now, somehow I find it quite hard to keep up with my studies and assignments lately. And now exams are coming, so I guess you know what I'm going to say. I'm not sure if I'll be able to update this quick since I have a lot of studies to catch up on and prepare for the upcoming exams. However, when I'm under a lot of stress, drawing and writing helps me to relax. So yeah, I'm just saying that there might be a slight delay in upcoming chapters. My midterms will finish in middle of October, just FYI.

Ah, don't mind me rambling. I just need some way to let it out once in a while, if you're reading this, thank you for taking your time to read my pointless rambling :3

Now, onto answering reviews!

**codename710**: Ah, great to see that you're back! *hands you a cookie* I haven't seen your review for couple of chapters back so I was wondering if you're still following. x3 I'm glad that you like the previous chapter. To be honest, I enjoyed writing Aki's drama and emotional scenes as much as Shinjiro's, but yeah… since the 'incident' is coming and Shinjiro would be gone very soon, I have to give an edge to Shinji, that's why I'm quite happy I could bring out Akihiko once in a while. He'll get a major role later on though. I'm happy you like that side of Aki, hehe. Well, I won't answer your question yet because I don't want to spoil you, so I hope you'll enjoy this little fluff of Shinji for the time being :3 Thank you for your review and support!

**pchan17**: Heheh, well, Shinji has to be gone sooner or later. To tell you the truth, I've been delaying it for as long as I could, but yeah, it'll happen eventually (not that I wanted to though) but without it, the story couldn't progress. So, I guess I'll have to write it soon. Lols, you snuck in between your study break to read the previous chapter, now I'm taking a break from reviewing study materials to finish and update this chapter. I hope you'll like it!

**Sha Moli**: Hehe, new reviewer is always welcome! Thank you for deciding to review xD I'm glad you like the previous chapter, and I'm glad you could lean a little toward Aki. Well, I'm not sure if this chapter pulled you back to Shinji or not, let me know then, okay? xD I hope you'll enjoy it!

**jory014**: Lols, no worries there. Signed in or not, I still recognize you by your username x3 And yay! I'm happy to know that you like how I portrayed Shinji in the previous chapter. I was waiting for an opportunity to bring out that side of him, lols. Well, about Shinji, this chapter is a little emotional/fluff between him and Hikaru. It didn't solve anything though, just little progress and opening for the drama to come. Don't worry, Aki *will* have a lot of major actions once the 'Shinji's incident' happen. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well. Thank you for reviewing :3

**Whiteheaven**: Ah, I'm so jealous that you have time for vacation xD Studies and assignments are eating me alive, I wish I could take a break as well. And about your opinion, thank you, I really appreciated it. I tended to repeat stuff in order to strengthen the point I was making, but hearing your opinion on that, I'll try to reduce it and tone it down (but I'll still have to remind the reader once in a while, lols, but yeah, I'll try to decrease them.) Thank you for your support and opinion! I'm glad you like how I bring out that side of Aki. I can assure you that the drama will continue, and I'll try not to make it too serious, lols. If you find the way I express/write drama up until now is light-hearted and sweet (once in a while) I think you'll be fine. I won't be able to make it any more serious than this xD

**neon kun**: Ah, so you're both Aki and Shinji fan. Let me assure you, I haven't decided on the ultimate couple yet. I've stated this before in my past chapters that I always change around the Character labeled in front of my story/fanfic according to what happen in the newest chapter. I always kept one character labeled as 'Female Protagonist' but another one I'm switching between Shinji and Aki, according to the present storyline. In other words, it doesn't matter what is labeled in front, I'll state on one of my chapter very clearly *if* I have chosen who'll end up with Hikaru at the end. I haven't decided yet, so don't worry there. This chapter is some emotional/fluff of Shinji, I hope you'll like it!

**Deidara'sgirl19**: LOLS! Yes, I'm evil and I love to torture my characters, I believe I've told you that before xD I did tortured both Aki and Shinji a lot, it wouldn't be fair if I didn't give some to Hikaru as well, right? Anyway, I'm glad to hear I could make you lean 'a little' toward Aki as well, lols. But I guess this chapter totally get you back to Shinji right?

About P4, well, I don't have PlayStation 2 or game console to play it on, so yeah. If Atlus is not going to make P4P, I'll have to stick with P3P. No worry on spoiling me for the ending though. After reading that, I googled some info about P4 and yeah, it tempted me to play it. Unfortunately, I can't, -sighs- it's look as nice as P3P, I really wish they'll make P4P, lols.

Also I've read two of your newest chapter and my! You sure update fast! I'm still stuck with my homework. Anyway, I like them very much, despite the fact that it is so sad to see Shinjiro got shot. (I totally understand your feeling, I just want to kill Takaya.) I was a bit disappointed that Shinjiro and Minako didn't 'sleep' together though. I do understand where you're coming from that it'd look bad for Shinji and Minako since she just got raped, but I was expecting Shinji to wipe the bad memory off by 'spending the night' with her. (After all, having sexual intercourse with the one you love would be an effective way to get rid of the horrible first time memory) But anyway, I like it! :3 Thanks for letting me know when you updated.

**carrieclamp**: Hehe, I'm glad you like the previous chapter. This love triangle is so fun for me to write as well xD Now this chapter main role is back to Shinjiro once again, quite emotional and a little touch of romance, I hope you'll enjoy this one as well! Thank you for your review and support ^^

**Shylien7765**: Lols, I'm so happy that you like how I portrayed Aki in the previous chapter. I was so nervous that people won't like it since he seemed a bit forceful, I guess I worried too much, yay! And about Shinji, I think I'll keep quiet for the time being, I just don't want to spoil you for the future chapters. Again, I'm glad that you agree with me on Aki's personality, he's a boxing champ after all, so he's more likely not to hold back his emotion, right? Well, even this chapter is totally devoted to Shinji, I'm still hoping that you'll find it likable though. Thank you very much for your review :3

**Moonlight and Music**: Ah, I see that you're back, I missed you! ^^ *gives you a bear hug* Don't worry about it, I'm glad to see that you enjoy my previous chapters and my drawing as well! Yeah, I think I specialize in drama and angst, not so much on the humor, lols. And I'm so glad to see that you like how I brought out Aki's forceful side as well. This chapter is back to Shinji once again (well, he'll be gone very soon, so I better give him some more actions.) Also, I have to torture Hikaru some more as well, since I tortured both Aki and Shinji a lot already xD I hope you'll like this chapter as well! Thank you for your support and review! I really appreciate it!

**TifaStrifeinlove**: Heheh, no worries there about not being to review in time! I totally understand with all the university's assignments on me as well. Well, I'm glad to hear that you like the side of Aki I brought out. I've been waiting to write that part of him for a long time, finally an opportunity to do so, and it was fun xD And LOLS, I laughed so hard at you yelling for Hikaru to resist. Seeing that, I think you'll find this chapter more to your liking (though Hikaru is still being tortured, by me, hahah, I'm evil.) Well, I hope you'll like this chapter! Thank you for the review and support! ^^

P.S. Hehe, I attempted to doodle more of him, hopefully I'll be able to scan and post it in the next chapter!

**Tsuki Rae**: Ah, well, I know previous chapter was all Aki, though I'm happy that you love it anyway. So I bring back Shinji in this chapter! Quite emotional and a little romance between Shinji and Hikaru, and also, you're right, more drama is coming. Don't forget to prepare for it. For now, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter while waiting for the drama! Thank you for your review and support! :3

**Cielle's Amour**: Yay, I'm glad that you like that side of Akihiko as well x3 I was so nervous people would not like him being too forceful, but it's great to receive good feedback on that. And yes, I'm talking about his shock-angry-face in the game, it scared the hell out of me at first =w=. While among fanworks, they made him very cute xD I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as I brought it back to Shinji once again ^^ Thank you for your review!

P.S. And pls pls pls update your story, I really want to read more x3 I could use sweet fluff and great humor right now. Anyway, I'll be waiting as well x3

**tsuki-no-usagi-kaguya-hime**: Heh, yeah, colleges-universities-schools works are just… killing. I'm not even sure if I'm going to have time to update as fast, but I'll try. About your question, wow, very hard question indeed, and I gotta say I can't pick, lols. To be honest, that's why I started this story and also one of the reasons I couldn't decide the ultimate couple yet. Aki and Shinji are both very great, I'd feel the same as Hikaru right now if I have to choose one of them. So yeah, the answer is I *also* and *still* can't choose, which also resulted in the delay on whether it should be Shinji or Aki that ended up with Hikaru in the end xD What about you? Who would you choose? :3

**Angeli-Ii-Demoni**: Yay! Welcome another new reader and review! *hands you a cookie* Wow, so you're totally new to this story x3 Welcome again. I'm glad that you like my little attempt of writing story in English. (It's my second attempt actually; first English story of mine was Harvest Moon fanfic.) And hello another Shinji's fan x3 I understand what you mean, I know that Shinji is a kind person! (That's why in my story, I bring out his kind side as much as possible.) This chapter is also devoted to Shinji and his gentle/straightforward personality xD I hope you'll like this chapter as well! And thank you for your review~ ^^


	19. Chapter 18 Shield Breaking

**Author's Note: **All I could say is that, I'm so sorry about the delay, but as I told you before, my midterm is coming. But still, thank you very much for all the supports and reviews! I couldn't ask for more, thank you again.  
I'll keep this short because I sneak out of my study time to write and update this, so yeah. The drama is back again! And this time, this is quite major drama that has a significant effect on the whole storyline.  
Also, this chapter is extra long! The longest I've ever write for this story, so I hope you guys will enjoy it. (Nearly twice as long as my normal chapters.)  
Okay, without any further ado, here's Chapter 18! One of the main dramatic scenes and extra long chapter!  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

* * *

**Chapter 18 Shield Breaking**

**Iwatodai Dorm – 1F Dorm Lounge – Afternoon**

It didn't take a detective to figure out that something was wrong with Hikaru.

This thought crossed Shinjiro's mind one day, in the afternoon. Other members of S.E.E.S. were at school and he was sitting in the lounge with Koromaru at his usual spot, near the couch. Now that his mind had wandered into this certain topic, it was almost impossible for him to get it out.

He recalled that she started acting weird since about last week, the day he went to see her at school. He still didn't know why she said all those things because, ever since that day, she never brought it up again, not once. But her actions afterward were what really irritated him.

Hikaru was a great leader, that he wouldn't argue, but somehow, in the last few days, she was using too much of her leadership power. It wasn't like she was ordering everyone to do what she wanted, on the contrary, she ordered everyone to stay put, and do _nothing_.

Ever since that day, she went to Tartarus every night, and using the word _she _alone, was literally precise. Even though all members of S.E.E.S. were presented, she would decide to explore Tartarus alone, and when he said every night, he meant _every single night_.

When asked, she gave no reason other than 'I want to fight alone.' and 'I have to learn how to defend myself if we get separated.' It was fairly reasonable at first, but even Mitsuru started to get worried after getting the same order two nights in a row. The senior questioned her about it the next day, at the Dark Hour in Tartarus; the reply she got was totally unexpected.

'_The second I show a sign of irresponsibility by severely hurting myself or push myself off-limit, you're free to object or oppose my decision, but if not, I won't take any complains.'_

It was then that Mitsuru knew she and Akihiko were making the right choice by choosing this girl to be the leader. Even she, the Ice Queen, was unable to say anything back to that. Hikaru's crimson eyes and the expression on her face was absolute, the expression of the true leader.

Other S.E.E.S. members were forced to remain silent, unable to take the issue further upon seeing and hearing her reaction to Mitsuru. And the situation continued. Surprisingly, Hikaru made a very quick progress in exploring Tartarus, even with her doing this all alone. She climbed up several floors in one night and Shinjiro could sense her increasing power and strength every time she came down the access point, near the end of the Dark Hour.

Every now and then, she'd come down with a few scratches and bruises on her body, but nothing major. She would let Yukari to be the one who cure her and then called it a night to get back to the dorm, or more like she sent everyone back to the dorm. She wouldn't come back immediately, even with him asking or scolding her for her stubbornness. She would only give him a smile, a sad smile, and disappear into the night without him being able to say anything more.

She knew her timing well, or maybe too well, that if she excuse herself in front of everyone, in front of the members of S.E.E.S., there was no way he could stop her from doing so. She used that to her advantage and the next time he saw her would be the next morning, before she went to school. No matter how long he waited, or went out to look for her afterward, he wouldn't find her.

Shinjiro bit his lip at the thought as he clenched his hand into a fist. The thought of her wandering along the street at night, alone, irritated him to no end, but there was nothing he could do. Every time he confronted her about it, she would make no respond or give any answer to his questions. Then she would have this expression, this sad and hurtful expression on her face which caused him to drop the topic eventually, knowing that he wouldn't get any reply he wanted and that he would only hurt her even more.

And it wasn't like she was avoiding him. Her unusual actions only happened in the Dark Hour. But in the daytime, she was normal, or so she seemed. Even with her putting on a smile to everyone in the dorm, he could tell the difference. She was a bit less talkative, which would be totally unrecognizable if not given the fact that he knew her better than everyone else.

Shinjiro let out a long sigh, he was mad at her, of course he was. How could he not be mad seeing what she was doing for the last few days? But he couldn't bear the thought of seeing her cry again, and he was aware that pressuring or forcing her to talk would resulted in her doing so.

Maybe it was his punishment. Shinjiro made a chuckle sound in his throat upon this thought. He was the one who asked her to keep whatever was going on between her and himself a secret from everyone, and now it was his turn to suffer from the consequences of his request. It was his turn to suffer the pain of unable to express his true feelings in front of anyone.

Another heavy sigh left his lips and he sunk into the couch, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling. He closed his eyes, breathing slowly.

_I guess, now I understand what she'd been going through… The pain…of not able to call someone your 'lover'…_

* * *

**Gekkoukan High – Boxing Club – After School**

It was probably the first time Akihiko was so distracted with his boxing training.

The Captain of school's boxing team let out a long sigh. He ran his hand through his silver hair, shaking his head a bit to get his mind straight, but obviously, there was no use. Training and boxing reminded him of his real purpose of it all. It reminded him of fighting with Shadows and Tartarus.

And Tartarus reminded him of a certain person, the one and only girl he ever laid eyes upon.

Akihiko took off his boxing gloves and waved his hand to signal other club members to continue their training as he excused himself, gathering all his belongings and exited the club room. As usual, he was crowded by his fan girls, but at the time, he was too distracted to even notice them. The next thing he knew, he already walked past the school front gate and the girls were all gone.

Once he was alone, Akihiko sighed deeply at the previous thought that crossed his mind.

Hikaru was acting strange, that he knew for sure. But what really troubled him was he couldn't figure out why. The clue he had was that it started after the day he…confessed to her, directly that is.

Of course, she didn't avoid him anymore, and to be honest, other than her unusual request in Tartarus, she seemed perfectly normal. He ran into her from time to time at school and she would greet him friendlily, but somehow, he noticed that she wasn't herself at all, ever since _that day_. She kept to herself, becoming quieter as the time passed. He did ask her about it, once, but only received a smile as an answer. She would then shake her head, telling him that there was nothing he had to worry about.

However, he was worried nonetheless, even more so given the fact that she was the girl who had captured his heart.

Before he knew it, he was already in front of Iwatodai Dorm. This was probably the first time he came back early on the day with club practice. Akihiko sighed once more, pushing the door open and went inside.

He wasn't surprised to see Yukari, Fuuka and Junpei sitting in the lounge, playing with Koromaru. He saw no sign of the girl who had been in his mind the whole time he left the club room. Hikaru was a busy and social girl, so maybe she was at one of those many clubs she'd joined, far too many for him to remember, of course.

"Ah! Sanada-senpai! Funny seeing you back so early, I thought you have boxing practice today?" The sound of Junpei greeting him snapped him out of his own little world. He stopped for a second and turned his head to look at the junior.

"Yeah," was his respond before his feet started moving again, making his way upstairs under the confusing stare from Junpei. He couldn't bother to care at the moment as he was forced to turn his attention to the man standing in the lounge area of 2nd floor. The two gazes met.

"Aki," his feet stopped immediately, as if he would still halt despite his name being called or not. He merely shot a glance at his best friend, silently. "Did you do something again?"

"Huh?" A short sound came from his throat, his silver brows scrunched together. "What are you talking about, Shinji?"

"She's acting weird lately, isn't she?" For some reason, Akihiko could immediately tell who was 'she' that his friend was referring to. The knowledge caused the boxer to raise his eyebrows.

"Since when do you care about Hikaru?" He questioned, unaware that he addressed her by her first name. It was Shinjiro's turn to raise his eyebrows. Seeing the other party's reaction, Akihiko then realized what he had said, but he simply chose to ignore that fact. "And what do you mean by '_did I do something_'?"

"Hmph," Shinjiro chuckled softly, lifted his head up a bit to look at his friend. "Last time you were the one who made her cry, it's just fair that when she started acting weird, you'd be the first one I'd suspect, isn't it?" He paused, breathing out slowly. "And to answer your question, I care because she's the leader."

Akihiko didn't totally believe the reason Shinjiro was giving him, but he was too focused on another topic to care about that right now. He was still for a moment as he looked down at the floor.

"I wish I know." He replied faintly, pressing his lips together. The reaction made the man in burgundy pea coat flinch slightly; he still remembered what his best friend told him before. He still remembered the fact that Akihiko liked Hikaru. However, he couldn't say anything or act as he pleased. He had to be careful not to let anyone know about them, especially his best friend.

"You said you like her, yet you don't even know what troubles her." Shinjiro scoffed, earning an intense glare from the silver haired man. He simply shrugged, straightened up to his feet and walked past the boxing champion with no other comments.

Akihiko's gaze followed his friend until he disappeared downstairs. A long, heavy sigh then left his mouth. The last words from Shinjiro slowly sunk in his mind. He was bothered by Hikaru's actions lately, of course he was, but maybe he was just afraid to ask her, knowing deep inside that he _might _be the cause of it. The thought of that scared him. He wouldn't be able to stand it if she start to avoid him again.

The boxer bit his lip, the parting words replayed within his mind once again. Maybe his friend was right. He was also curious and worried about her actions, and maybe it was time he should confront her.

Akihiko headed toward his room with determination painted across his face. He had decided. No matter how long he had to wait or what method he had to use, he'd confront Hikaru, and he had to find out what was troubling her. He had to know the reason why the most important girl to him was acting like this.

* * *

**The Velvet Room – After Dark Hour**

"You seem troubled, Hikaru-sama." The straightforward, yet respectful words from the man clad in blue caused the owner of the name to look up from the Persona Compendium Book, tilting her head to the side.

"Am I?"

"It's not very difficult to notice when you have something on your mind, Hikaru-sama." The leader of S.E.E.S. smiled dryly at his respond as she brought her hand up, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly.

"It's easy to notice when I come here every day after the Dark Hour, isn't it?" Hikaru laughed shyly, letting out a soft sigh.

"Ah, yes. That too, is one of the reasons." Theodore decided to stop there. There was no point to tell her the real reason behind it, it'd just trouble her more than she already was. Thinking that, the Velvet Room's assistant just bowed slightly.

"It's just…things are getting more complicated," Hikaru began, and then paused, hesitating about how she should phrase them. Shortly, another long sigh followed. "Maybe I'm not ready for all this, I'm sorry Theo. I don't think I want to talk about it just yet."

"That is understandable." He gave another polite bow, one hand at his chest. "I just want you to remember, that I'll always be there, if you were to need me."

"Yes, I remember," The brunette returned his concern with a warm smile. She took his free hand, squeezing it lightly. "Thank you, Theo."

A faint blush appeared across his divine face, but disappeared immediately as well. Once his usual polite and respectful expression was back, Theodore slowly held onto the hand in his grasp.

"I think it is time for you to go back, Hikaru-sama. It is very late, and I remember from the book my master gave me that it is very dangerous for women of your age to walk around at night." Hikaru giggled at his comment. She smiled, obediently let him lead her to the door.

"Okay, Theo. I'll see you tomorrow then." She smiled, still giggled softly.

"I look forward to your next visit." And with that, Hikaru was out of the Velvet Room. She found herself at the Back Alley of the Paulownia Mall once again.

Now that she was alone, the leader of S.E.E.S. couldn't help but let out another long sigh. She turned toward the sky, it was dark but full with sparkling lights from countless stars. Hikaru pressed her lips together and started heading back to the dorm.

It had been almost a week since this had become her routine. The day Akihiko confessed to her, the same day she got those meaningful words from Shinjiro, she made up her mind to do this. She couldn't run from them anymore, nor she could bear the thought that she'd eventually hurt one of them. Maybe that was why she did this, taking up Tartarus alone.

She could tell that both Shinjiro and Akihiko weren't pleased with her decision and request, along with other members of S.E.E.S. upon the confrontation between her and the red-headed senior. But her mind was made up, and there was nothing that could change it at the time, thus she was able to silence the senior with just her words alone.

The true purpose of her request was to allow her more time alone to think, and also to strengthen herself. It was because she relied on Shinjiro and Akihiko too much; maybe unconsciously making them worried and wanted to protect her, resulted in Akihiko developing a strong feeling toward her as well. However, she still couldn't figure out the real reason why someone like Akihiko would fall for her. He was popular, and he'd be able to get any girl he wanted. She just couldn't come to understand why he'd want someone like her.

Hikaru shook her head violently to get that thought out of her mind. She needed to focus on fighting, protecting herself, and maybe, torturing herself too. It was like she casted this punishment upon herself, to fight alone and receive no help. Deep in her heart, she felt that maybe by doing so, the guilt that weighted on her heart could lower, even for the slightest.

But the real reason of it all was that she wasn't ready to face any of this. Fighting alone in Tartarus helped put her mind at ease and she could forget about the complication in her life for that moment. She still had to face both Akihiko and Shinjiro, that she couldn't refuse or run away, but she just buried all her feelings deep inside and wouldn't act as she want. She could face them, talk to them and smile for them normally, but she kept the certain distance, that she wouldn't get too close to any of them, even when her heart was arching to be held by them.

Hikaru finally reached the front door of the dorm. She looked up, all the rooms were dark, as she wished they were. She'd come back around this time, a couple of hours after the Dark Hour, to make sure that everyone was asleep and that they wouldn't notice or worry about her coming back so late.

The brunette opened the door and went inside. She gave it a proper lock before turning around, planning to head straight to her room so that she could rest. However, before she came in, she was unaware of the faint light in the lounge, and now, she realized it came from a single lamp on the side table in the lounge area. With that faint light, it revealed the tall figure that made her heart race up the instant she caught the sight of him. The man rose up to his feet, walked past the lounge to stand across from her, keeping a fair distance. His grey eyes were unreadable.

"S-Sanada-senpai!" Hikaru heard herself exclaim, her eyes widened as her heartbeat continued to rise.

"So you're finally back." Akihiko said sharply, pretending to ignore the way she addressed him. While waiting, he somehow reached his limit of patient, so he wasn't going to bother with greetings or any indirect approach. He got straight to the point. "I allowed you to do as you please up to this point, but not anymore." He took a pause, looking straight into her eyes. "What were you thinking? Doing this, are you trying to hurt me or something?"

"W-What?" She stuttered, it was so long since she last saw him this upset and worked up. "Hurt you? Why'd I do such a thing?"

Akihiko took a step forward, closer to her. "You went up Tartarus alone the day I asked to be there and protect you. You didn't give me a chance to even keep the promise I made with myself, to protect you." Another pause, followed by a sharp inhale, sad and hurtful expression suddenly appeared on his face as he looked down to the floor. "That day, when I asked you, you didn't answer, but you didn't deny it, so I thought I might have a chance. I thought that you may have feelings for me, but you weren't ready to accept it, but now…" He trailed off, lifting his head up to look at the girl in front of him with so much pain in his eyes. "Now that I think about it… you're kind, so you don't want to see me get hurt… That's why you couldn't tell me you don't like me, right?"

Hikaru shook her head fiercely, but she wasn't able to say anything. She wasn't ready for this, to hear all these words from him. She couldn't take it. The girl bit down on her lip, hard, feeling the burning in her eyes.

"Just tell me, Hikaru…" His voice started to tremble; it hurt him just to force the words out. "You don't have to be kind to me anymore, just tell me, that you don't like me, please… Be honest with me. Just tell me you'd never fall for a guy like me…" Now his voice was pleading and when her eyes met his, Hikaru felt like someone had pierced a sharp knife through her heart. His expression, his eyes, there was so much pain, and it was tormenting her. Her eyes began to water.

"Don't do this… Aki…" She whispered, clenching her eyes shut and kept her head low, facing downward. She covered her head with both of her hands, unable to look at him. She couldn't take it, it was too much.

Her reaction startled him, yes, but what caught his attention more effectively was the way she called him. Did she just call him…Aki?

"Did you just call me…Aki…?" He spoke his mind, and Hikaru's eyes snapped open. She suddenly realized what she'd said, but before she could even lift her head, Akihiko was in front of her in an instant, closing the gap between them in one quick motion. The brunette felt his firm grips on both her wrists.

Hikaru slowly lifted her head up and looked at him, droplets of tears started rolling down her face. His grey gaze looked deep into her crimson eyes, and there it was, the one thing he was looking for, the same thing he saw that night, at the shrine. The thing she tried to keep inside, the thing she tried to bury in the deepest of her heart, away from him. He could see it now, again, so clearly.

It was the same thing, the same gaze he had when he look at her, and only her alone.

And that was enough.

His lips captured hers in a gentle, loving kiss. He felt a resistance from her, just merely for a second, before it was gone and she started responding to him. He could feel the tears on her face, but at the time, he couldn't bring himself to care. He was unable to think about anything except her, her touch, her lips, they were intoxicating him. His tongue made its way into her mouth as she accidently parted them, and he wouldn't miss his chance. The bolt of pleasure shot down his spine as he found her tongue. He toyed and intertwined it with his, indulging himself in the realm of pleasure. The soft moan within her throat only set the fire in his body ablaze.

Hikaru's mind went totally blank, there was no point denying him anymore. She had reached her limit; she no longer had the strength to deny any of them, to deny Akihiko. All strength she ever had had burnt out in her attempt since last week. Right now, she was lost in his taste, totally surrender.

The two of them was too caught up in the moment, engrossed in each other touch to notice that they weren't alone. The tall, dark figure stood frozen on the stairways, his brown eyes widened in shock.

Shinjiro felt his breath got cut short, unaware that his hands slowly clenching into fists. His teeth sunk into his lip, hard enough that he could draw thick, red liquid oozing from it. The bitter taste wasn't pleasant, but it was what reminded him that all this was real.

Maybe it was him…who was the cause of it all…

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P.S. I guess you guys saw that coming, yes? There you have it, one of major dramas of this story. It took me surprisingly short amount of time to whip out this chapter, probably due to the stress I get from studying too much. (As I told you before, when I'm under a lot of stress, I write and draw as the way to relieve that stress.) This chapter is surprisingly long too, I was amazed myself (nearly twice as long as my normal chapter). Also, I was so impatient (again, due to studying) so I speed up the drama a bit. This chapter is actually previously-planned-2-chapters-merged-together kind of thing. So please forgive me if there're a lot of errors in this chapter, I had absolutely no time to proof-read it.

But actually, I have to say I'm sorry that I won't be answering reviews in this chapter. I took my precious study time to write out this chapter so I guess it's time for me to go back to study. My midterms are now less than a week, yes, I'm running out of time, but anyway, I manage to update an extra long chapter for you guys, so yay!

I'll say thank you very much for all the reviews, I've read them all, several times and they were what inspired me and helped me finish this chapter, so thank you! I really appreciated them. I didn't have time to answer each review individually, but my thanks goes to **Tsuki Rae**, **tsuki-no-usagi-kaguya-hime**, **carrieclamp**, **neon kun**, **Mihaellawliet**, **Deidara'sgirl19**, **Tachikawa Yuzuki**, **TifaStrifeinlove**, **Cielle's Amour**, **Moonlight and Music**, **codename710**, **pchan17**, **Whiteheaven** and **AoKanojo** ! Thank you all for your supports! I love you all so much!

So I guess I'll have to go now, sorry about not being able to answer the reviews, I'll make sure to get to that in the next chapter. For now, I need to go back to study. Thank you for everyone who wished me luck, I'll try and see if I could update again soon.

**Holy Leonheart**

P.S.2 I may rewrite this chapter if I have time later on because it's kind of a rush work. But for now, I'll leave it as it is. Thank you for reading :3


	20. Chapter 19 Because 'I love you'

**Author's Note: **First of all, thank you very much for the reviews and supports! I'm really happy, that's why this chapter is out quite early than I planned it to! Thank you again for all your continuous supports!  
Also, I have a *very* special thank you to **AoKanojo** for taking time to proof-read and corrected any errors in this chapter. Thank you again! Without you, I couldn't finish this chapter and post it this quick. I really appreciated your help and muse massage/cookie x3! *bow*  
Now, back to briefing, as my exams are starting this Tuesday and I'm running out of time, I'll keep this short. *Little spoilers* Shinji's fans, grab some tissue and prepare for some serious drama!  
Yup, that's all I have to say. So I won't keep you here any longer, here's Chapter 19! Again, one of major dramas of this story! I hope you'll enjoy it!  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

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**Chapter 19 Because 'I love you'**

Shinjiro stood there in silence, gazing upon the sight before him for one last time before turning back. His feet brought him straight to his own room as he opened and closed the door quietly to make sure that the two downstairs wouldn't hear him, or even be aware that he was awake. He then turned around, leaning his back against the doorframe and gazing up at the white ceiling.

Suddenly aware that his hands were balled into fists, Shinjiro slowly loosened them and placed his fingertips on the surface of the wooden door, letting the coldness sink in, hoping that it would help in calming the blazing emotions inside him. He clenched his eyes shut, exhaling loudly.

Now he knew the real reason behind her unusual behavior, not just for the past few days, but before that as well. The reason for that day, when she came crying to him, asking him to hold her and call her name. The day Aki confronted him and accidently told him that he was the one who made his girl cry. The cause of the pain and sadness he caught every time he looked deep into her eyes, no matter how hard she was trying to hide it from him. It was all so clear to him now.

Hikaru had fallen for him, but at the same time, she had also fallen for Aki.

Shinjiro inhaled sharply at the thought. He couldn't say that it didn't hurt him. Of course it did, it hurt more than he could have ever imagined, but at the same time, there was a part of his heart that secretly wished this would happen, or expected it to happen, to be more precise.

He loved Hikaru. He loved her, so much that he couldn't put it into words, so much that it pained him like this.

Once again, Shinjiro found himself inhaling sharply. He brought his hand to his chest, digging his nails into the black turtleneck as if he was trying to reach down to his heart. The voice of his precious someone echoed within his mind . He loved her, and he would do anything just to see her smile, to protect her and make her happy, but reality wasn't simple like that.

He bit his lip, letting out another painful sigh. His entire being was tainted, including his heart and soul. There was no way he could be with her; there was no way to erase what he'd done. His past was holding him back, binding him to the guilt and the crime he'd committed so long ago. Unfortunately, the passage of time couldn't wash away his sins.

But he was selfish; he gave in to his emotions and allowed Hikaru to get close to him, allowing her to fall for a monster like him, even when he knew he didn't deserve her affection, yet he couldn't stop his feelings. Not only that, but he was also hurting Hikaru by asking her to keep everything secret. He was torturing her, forcing her into an agonizing situation with heart-rending repercussions he was just beginning to understand.

Still, he couldn't stop himself. She was the light, the one and only person who brought hope into his life. Before he met her, he was nothing, absolutely nothing. She was the only reason he still had a will to live during this darkest hour of his life. And now, because of him, she had to endure so much heartache and sorrow . Hikaru was a kind girl, he knew that well. That was why he knew full well how she must feel right now. She felt guilty for having feelings toward both him and his best friend, yet she wouldn't say anything to him. Complying with his selfish request to keep things hidden, she had responded by holding all her anguish inside and suffering all alone.

_It's no use._ He bit his lip harder at the thought. No matter how much he loved her, no matter how much he wanted to be with her, deep inside, he knew it was impossible. His time was running out; he'd been denying it and, at the same time, he'd been torturing the most important person in his life for long enough. _It has to end._

With that last thought, Shinjiro opened his eyes, staring silently into space, but his gaze was determined. He had decided.

It must end, now. He would put the end to this, so she could move on. So that she could forget someone like him.

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**The Next Day – October 2nd**

**1F Dorm Lounge – Early Morning**

"Hikaru." The deep, familiar voice stopped the leader of S.E.E.S. just before she was about to exit the dorm. Hikaru looked back, feeling her heart race at the sight of the man standing behind her.

"Shinjiro…senpai..?" She called softly, a faint blush rushing to her face, followed by a sharp pain. Seeing him reminded her of what happened here last night, and the guilt made her feel like someone was ripping out her heart. She cast her eyes down, unable to look him in the face.

"Are you free tonight?" Pretending he didn't notice her reaction, Shinjiro just said what was on his mind in a neutral tone. The straightforward question surprised her a bit. The brunette blinked once, slowly looking up until her eyes met his.

"I think so…" she answered after thinking for a moment. Her voice was faint, as if she was afraid. His sharp gaze made her feel uneasy inside; it made the guilt weighing on her heart feel even heavier.

"Meet me around…" He trailed off, breaking the eye contact to shove his hand into his pocket in search of something before letting out a low groan when he failed to find it. "Damn it, where's that watch?"

"You lost your watch, senpai?" Hikaru gathered enough courage to ask, trying her best to sound as normal as possible. She was quite confused with his unusual behavior, though she decided that it was best to keep quiet. She wasn't ready to face him about 'that' now, especially if she wanted to be able to pay attention in class today.

"Tch, never mind. Just come back here right after school, I'll be waiting." Shinjiro said out of irritation. He just couldn't bother to look for it now.

"S-Sure." Hikaru found herself stuttering for some odd reason. She pressed her lips together in order to restrain her feelings, then gave him a polite bow and went out the front door, heading toward the station.

Once she was gone, Shinjiro sighed to himself. He noticed that she was acting a bit weird in front of him, and he was totally aware of the reason behind it. He clasped his left chest through his shirt, digging his nails into the flesh as if he was trying to calm something inside.

_Forgive me, Hikaru… I just need to know that, once, half of your heart was mine… I just need to feel that a part of you once belonged to me… Just this one time…one night… and I'll let you go… I promise…_

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**1F Dorm Lounge – Evening**

The more time passed, the more anxious Shinjiro became. The man in the burgundy pea coat exhaled loudly, watching the white Akita rolling around on the floor in an attempt to calm himself. It was unlike Hikaru to be late, and most of all, she had to choose this day, this appointment to be that rare case which she was late.

With him sitting in the lounge, he gained several pairs of confused gazes from all the juniors that came back from school, all three of them. Yukari, Fuuka and Junpei dropped in for a quick check if anyone in the dorm had seen Hikaru. When they saw no sign of her –or any other member of S.E.E.S. except him and Koromaru–, they decided to inform him that they'd be out until late, but would be back before the Dark Hour. They also asked him to tell Hikaru if she came back later, in which he answered with a simple 'tch' sound.

Shinjiro felt his heart twisting again and again in excruciating torment. It was bad enough he had to deal with the agony of knowing what he had to do later tonight. Being left alone in the dorm just compounded his suffering by leaving him nothing to do but think about it constantly. He just wanted to see her face, to see her smile, the smile that could erase all his worry and sadness.

The sound of the front door being slammed open got his attention. He turned his head, only to see the brunette girl rushing in and stopping before him, panting hard.

"Where the hell have you been?" Despite the burden upon his heart, he couldn't help but sound a little irritated as he made his comment. Hikaru took in several deep breaths, trying to slow down her rushing heartbeat.

"I-I'm so…sorry.." She managed to say it between her panting as she opened her bag, searching for something hurriedly. Shinjiro just watched in silence. Finally, after a long time of going through her whole bag, she pulled out something that made Shinjiro's eyes widen with surprise. There lay an old pocket watch, sized just a little smaller than her palm.

"Where did you get this?" He questioned, looking at her in confusion as she carefully put the watch in his hand.

"Well, this morning you said you lost your watch, so after school, I went to see Officer Kurosawa about it and this is what I got." She took a pause to breathe. "He said someone turned in it few days ago."

"So you went out, just to look for this?" His voice was a bit faint, uncharacteristic of him. The brunette gave him a nod.

"I'm sorry, it took longer than I expected. I thought I'll be able to come back quickly, so I-" However, she was cut off when Shinjiro suddenly pulled her into his arms, embracing her gently. Her eyes widened for a bit, before a soft smile appeared on her lips. "So it's yours then… I'm glad…"

Shinjiro pressed his lips together, trying to suppress his feelings. How was he supposed to let this person go, after all this? After she made him so madly in love with her?

He eventually let go of her, needing the sting from biting the inside of his lip to do so. He sighed softly, looking at her in the eyes.

"Come with me, I have to get something in my room, and it's easier to talk there." He managed to say that one sentence with an even voice as he got up to his feet and started walking. It took Hikaru a couple of seconds to register what he meant and respond to it. The leader of S.E.E.S. blushed a deep red as she followed him upstairs. She knew full well he didn't mean it that way, but somehow, the awareness that she was going to his room made all the blood rush irrepressibly to her face.

Shinjiro opened his door and went in, holding it open for her as the girl seemed to hesitate a bit. It was just a fraction of a second before she stepped inside, taking a nervous glance around his room. He pretended to be oblivious about it as he closed the door, using his finger to turn the lock and went straight to his desk, grabbing something and sitting down on the bed.

"Oy…" Still looking around timidly, unsure about where to sit, Hikaru almost jumped when she heard the deep voice from him. She turned back, only to see Shinjiro sitting comfortably on the bed. Seeing her reaction, a small smile crept up his face. He chuckled softly, leaning his back against the bed head. "C'mere."

She complied without a word. Shinjiro sat up a bit so she could sit in front of him, her back facing him. His strong arms pulled her close and, even from behind, he could still see the redness on her face.

"Here." Hikaru heard him say softly to her ears as she felt a light grip on her left wrist. She looked down, eyes widening as she realized what he grabbed on his table earlier. It was a beautiful leather watch with a delicate silver face. A simple design, yet it was exquisite in its own way.

"What's this for, senpai?" She asked, looking back at him with wonder.

"Ah, it's not like I'm trying to pay you back or anything," He stuttered a bit, blushing light red. "I guess I figured it'd look good on you, so I want you to have it."

"It's beautiful…" She mumbled, gently grazing her finger over the metallic face of the watch, admiring it before looking up, smiling brightly at him. "I love it, thank you very much."

Exotic warmth rose up inside Shinjiro's heart upon seeing her smile, but at the same time, he felt a sharp ache inside. He knew he had to let her go, he knew that he couldn't allow this to go on much longer, but having her here, in his grasp, it was impossible for him to stay strong.

And once again, he surrendered to the weakness in his heart as he turned her body around and sealed her lips with his. Hikaru flinched from surprise but eventually closed her eyes, absorbing the gentleness of his touch and the feel of his lips on hers. She automatically parted her lips, allowing his tongue to explore inside her mouth and Shinjiro took this invitation willingly. He was the one who taught her to respond like this, after all. Her taste was divine and at the same time, blinding. Her breathing became sharper and shallower, which only made him unable to stop. All the while, he kept telling himself that this would be the last time, the last moment of weakness. He deepened the kiss, filling it with all the love, happiness, sadness and pain inside his heart and soul; he conveyed them all through this one kiss.

He couldn't tell how much time had passed until he finally broke the kiss, though his tongue still slowly played over her soft lips, hesitating to pull away. His eyes were studying her face, memorizing every detail of that angelic face. He nibbled on her lower lip for one last time before placing his hands on both her shoulders, gently pushing her away. He lowered his head, keeping his eyes down.

Shinjiro sunk his teeth into his lip once again; a low grunt came from his throat, caused by the torment and agony forming inside his heart. Drawing another sharp breath, he lifted his head up and mournfully looked into her eyes. He was still biting himself as he forced the words out.

"This'll be the last time I'll be with you like this." Even after he said it, the throbbing pain within him still continued, and it was made worse when her ruby gaze suddenly changed into a stricken one. She kept looking at him, as if she was waiting for him to say something, to deny the earlier words he'd said, but nothing came out.

"W-What?" was all she managed to get out. Hikaru stared at him silently. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and her face said it all.

Shinjiro let go of her shoulders, knowing it would be better for him not to touch her at all, and Hikaru noticed that. She felt the bottom of her eyes burning as she saw him backing away from her. The expression on his face was telling her that he was serious.

"This. Us. I'm putting an end to it." Shinjiro forced himself to continue, putting on the unreadable expression even though it was killing him.

"You're kidding…right…?" Her voice started to tremble, as well as her whole body, but she kept her eyes on him, even when tears began to cloud her vision. "Please… Please tell me you're kidding! Please!" Hikaru grabbed his black turtleneck, shaking him madly. It was like something inside her had snapped.

"I won't be here after October 4th. Either it ends here, or then. The sooner, the better." It was almost impossible for him to keep his usual expression, but he managed to keep his voice normal, even with him having no idea how, even when his heart was literally falling apart. "Remember, I told you before. Even if you give your heart to me, you won't get anything back. It's time, Hikaru. My time's up. After October 4th, I won't be here any longer."

Hikaru could only stare at him in tears. How could he be so cruel? How could he say all that with a straight face? Questions after questions appeared in her mind, but she couldn't find the answers to any of them.

"N-No!" She protested, grabbing his shirt once again, even harder this time. "No! You're lying! Please tell me you're lying! Shinjiro!" She cried out, tears spilling from her crimson eyes. She shook her head wildly, refusing to believe what he'd said. Shinjiro could only remain silent, fighting the urge to embrace her, to hold her close to his heart and tell her how much he loved her.

"You don't have to forgive me, but forgive everything else." He said to her, but at the time, Hikaru was crying so hard that she couldn't hear him anymore. All the while, her hands gripped onto him tightly, as if she'd never let go.

"You can't do this to me! You can't-!" Her voice rose without her knowing it, but she just couldn't bring herself to care. She was going to lose him. She gazed up at him, eyes full of tears. "Don't do this, please! Shinjiro, I beg you…" The girl started to lose herself; she didn't know what she was saying anymore. The only thing she knew was that she had to say something, anything, or else she'd lose him forever.

However, despite all that, she knew it was useless. The reason she couldn't stop her tears was because she knew, deep down, nothing she could say would change his mind, and that one fact had shattered her heart into pieces.

"Please…" She forced out another heartbroken plea, but what she received was a sorrowful and apologetic gaze from the man in front of her.

"Take care of Aki. I'm counting on you." Using all the strength left within him, Shinjiro forced the last words out and pulled her hands away. Hikaru sobbed at the action, her arms falling to the side. She bit her lip, stifling her cries as she tried her best to get to her feet, eventually succeeded a moment later.

The leader of S.E.E.S. forced herself to look at him for one last time. His eyes were grief-stricken, but right then, her heart was too broken to notice anything. She looked down, her whole body shaking hard as she lifted her head up to meet his gaze, countless drops of tears streaming down her face.

"Thank you…for everything…" and with that, she dragged herself out of his room. Once she was out, Hikaru stumbled to the lounge area in order to get as far as she could from Shinjiro's room. She was crying so hard that she didn't even notice the sound of footsteps drawing closer. The presence of someone stopped before her.

"Hikaru…?" The familiar voice caused the girl to look up, only to see Akihiko stood frozen with his eyes wide when he saw her current state.

"Sen…pai…" She muttered faintly, managing to walk for another three steps before her knees gave out. Akihiko was quick enough to rush to her just in time as she fell lifelessly into his arms, making a grab for his sleeves, her hands and body trembling.

"Hikaru…!" The silver haired man was about to say something when he was cut off by a long, anguished moan from the girl in his arms. He was forced to remain quiet as Hikaru cried out again. It was a tortured cry, sounding even more agonized than the first one. All he could do at the time was stand still, allowing her to hold on to him.

Hikaru cringed as pain and sadness overwhelmed her, consuming her entirely. She gritted her teeth, sobbing inaudibly as tears continued to fall down. She gripped onto Akihiko's arms, but her mind was filled with only one person, the person who had broken her heart.

_Shinjiro… Shinjiro…_

Meanwhile, Shinjiro was standing alone in his room, slumped against the door. His fingers violently dug into his own flesh, at the area above his heart. He would rip out the throbbing organ if it would stop this tormenting pain inside him.

He looked up at the ceiling—no sobbing, no crying, only silent tears streaming down his face.

_Because I love you… That's why…I have to let you go…_

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P.S. Another extra long chapter from me! And yes, yes. I'm evil, I know. So it's October 2nd, the incident is just around the corner, so be prepare. Please don't kill me for writing this chapter, I know I tortured both Shinji and Hikaru, and also torturing you guys to read this chapter. However, I gotta say I almost cry when I was writing this chapter, since I actually had the whole scene 'played' in my head, as an animation. It made the scene much more emotional. When I finish writing it, I had tears in my eyes, so there, I'm also torturing myself writing it too. There're still a bit of mystery hanging here and there, but all will become clear on October 4th, I assured you.

Small Note: Yes, I merged two of his Social Link events together, Rank 9 and 10. *A little spoilers* Just to be clear, no, it didn't include the event 'after' maxing his Social Link, so you guys can still look forward to that. *evil laughs*

Ah, and as my time is running out, I'll go straight to answering reviews! (Yeah, I took my study time to answer, but hey, I have to relax, lols. Anyway! Here it is!)

**pchan17**: Wow! Yay! I'm so glad that you like it and gave it max score, hehe. (At least I got a max score for this, I hope I'll get good score in my exams too) Sorry about the errors and delay though. For this chapter, again, it took me quite shorter than I expected, but it's a very important chapter and I've been looking forward to write it, but yeah.. very dramatic scene indeed. I hope you'll like this chapter also! Thank you for your review and support!

**Whiteheaven**: Lols, I could tell that you're waiting/looking forward to see the table got turned to Shinji. I'm so glad you like the previous one. This chapter is even more dramatic (or at least I tried to make it so.) I hope that you'll enjoy this one as well. I really enjoy writing it, though I almost cried, hahah, I'm getting to emotionally attach to this fanfic. Well, I did my best, so let me know if you like this chapter or not. It's the most dramatic chapter I've written so far. Thank you for reviewing and for your wish as well x3

**neon kun**: Lols, it's still a love triangle fic as I labeled it to be. I hope you'll find this chapter enjoyable as well! Thank you for reviewing!

**Tachikawa Yuzuki**: Ah, welcome another new reader/reviewer! Sorry for not being able to answer your review in the previous chapter, thank you for reviewing though! I hope I won't sound mean but I intend to make you reader confuse, heheh. Well, after this chapter, don't be heartbroken yet, it's just more drama added in the love triangle and to spice things up a little more. Well, I don't want to spoil you for the ultimate couple, so we'll have to wait and see :3 Thank you for your review!

**Moonlight and Music**: Lols, yeah, I guess you also saw that coming, huh? I don't know if you were expecting what happen in this chapter as well. (I hope not? Because then my fanfic is just too predictable.) Pls don't give up hope yet, even though this chapter could seriously break Shinji fan's heart, I'd still say that don't give up, lols. Don't be so heartbroken and you're soo welcome to take Shinji if Hikaru won't, lols. Seems like many people are just ready to take him. I don't mind the short review, instead, I'm glad to know that even when you're busy, you still take your time to review and support me, thank you so much! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too!

**Tsuki Rae**: Oh, that's unexpected thought there. I didn't expect anyone to think that Hikaru called Shinjiro 'Aki', but seems to be another good dramatic scenario if that happen huh? Well, despite that, this chapter is already very dramatic as it is. I tortured both Hikaru and Shinjiro so much in this chapter (I can't say I didn't torture myself though, I almost cry when I wrote up this chapter since I had the scene actually 'played' in my head.) Well, studying isn't much fun, but taking time out to write this chapter was fun though, lols. I hope you'll like it and thank you for your review and support x3

**Mihaellawliet**: Oh, hello. Well, I have to say I'm sorry but I totally have no idea who those two are. I didn't play Star Ocean, so I'm completely have no knowledge or information on that, heheh. Sorry though, but I hope you'll enjoy this chapter :3 Thank you for the support!

**Cielle's Amour**: Hehe, I tortured Shinji and Hikaru even more in this chapter (and I kinda tortured myself by writing it as well =w=) This chapter is just pure dramatic, maybe I'm just too stressed, so I express it through the chapter, hahah. I don't know if you expected Shinji to act like this or not (hope not, I don't want my fic to be so predictable xD) Well, thank you for your review and support. Also, I'm looking forward to your update on your stories as well x3

**TifaStrifeinlove**: Heheh, I'm so glad you're looking forward to my update. Here's another one I managed to get out before my exams, lols. Maybe I'm really too stress so I needed to write. Anyway, seeing that you're former Shinji's fan, this chapter could break your heart big time huh? Even I'm the one writing it, I got quite emotional myself, so I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it x3 It's just pure dramatic, sad, but very dramatic. Well, let me know what you think then X3 Thank you for your review and support :3

P.S. Hehe, thank you! I hope I'll get an A+ too x3

**chibi**: Ah, hello hello! Welcome another new reviewer (Somehow I feel familiar with your name, but maybe I hear/see it a lot from forums xD anyway, welcome x3!) Well, I'll leave that question unanswered since I don't want to spoil you. Thank you for your review though, I'm happy to know what you like my story. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well!

**tsuki-no-usagi-kaguya-hime**: Lol, yes drama! And yet, another very dramatic chapter is here! Hehe, to be honest, studying hard make me quite stressful, and being stressful make me want to write, that's why I managed to get this chapter done when my exams begin on Tuesday xD Well, I hope you'll like this chapter! Thank you for your support ^^

**I'm Doxophobic:** Ah, hello and welcome another new reader/reviewer. (Well, but from your review, I guess you're not a new reader, but you're new reviewer, that I'm sure because I remembered all who'd review before x3 But I'm glad you decided to review as well!) This chapter is just pure drama, even more dramatic than the previous one, if I had something to say about that. So you're leaning toward Shinji, yes? I hope I didn't break your heart by what I've written for this chapter. (I almost break mine trying to write it out though. Even worse, given that I had the whole scene 'played' in my head as an animation as I wrote it.) About the coma thing and the drugs' effect, I'll leave that unanswered for now. I promise you everything will be cleared up by the end of the story. Anyway, thank you for your wonderful review and I hope you'd decide to continue reviewing xD I also hope you'll enjoy this chapter and thank you again for your wish! I'll do my best on the exams and new chapter as well :3

**AoKanojo**: Ah, I'm really glad you like how I wrote the previous chapter. Mostly it's because of the situation which I had to jump/skip the timeline a bit to speed things up. There'll be a lot of cut-scene later, even more after this chapter since it's getting close to the –incident- that is very important, so I'll be more likely to skip the insignificant timeline between that a lot. (In other words, there'll be a lot of cut scene here and there in future chapters.) And thank you for pointing out the errors, I just got to that not long ago.

Also, I have to say thank you for proof-reading this chapter for me as I suck at grammar. Even when I did the proof-read myself, it'll still leave a lot of errors in my chapter nonetheless, so I'm very grateful for your help! Thank you again. I guess I did answer part of your question in email already, so there's not much to say after, huh? Well, thank you again for all your help and your wonderful reviews that inspired me to write x3

**Deidara'sgirl19**: Ah, previous chapter made you cry? *smiles dryly* I guess after reading this chapter, you'd totally forgot about the tears you shed in previous chapter, huh? To be honest, even I'm the one writing it and I'm both Shinji and Aki fan, writing this chapter almost made me cry. When I wrote the part Hikaru grabbed onto Shinjiro's shirt and beg him, I had the scene playing so clearly in my mind, forcing the words out really *did* made my eyes water with tears. I guess I'm getting too emotionally attach to this story, lols. Well, please let me know what you think, I wanna know if it made your eyes water like mine or not, heheh. Anyway, thank you for your review and support!

**Lesty**: Ah! Glad to see that you enjoy my previous chapter x3 I hope you'll like this chapter as well, another dramatic one! Thank you for your support and review x3

P.S. Heheh, thank you for another review as well! I don't mind random review, it give me inspiration and support! X3 Thank you and I really hope you'll enjoy this chapter as much as the previous one!

**carrieclamp**: Heheh, nah, I didn't make Shinjiro mean to Aki, but I do make him quite a meanie in Hikaru's eyes though. (But I guess I tortured both Hikaru and Shinji at the same time.) And nope, I didn't make Hikaru choose yet, it's just not the time. Now is the time for more drama I've it planned out for so long, so I hope you'll like it! Thank you for your review and support! I'll do my best after the midterms X3

**Shylien7765**: Ah, I'm so glad you like the previous chapter. I know that I didn't write it as you expected it to be. (That Hikaru didn't know Shinji saw her and Aki) I didn't know if you expected this to happen as well, but I had it planned out a long time ago and I was looking forward to write this chapter, actually. It's just pure drama, and to be honest, forcing the words out and writing this chapter, it almost made me cry since I had the whole scene actually 'played' in my head, much more emotional than the words themselves. And don't worry, Aki will have his role later on, a lot, after the –incident-, so you could look forward to that. Seeing you're Aki's fan, I'm looking forward to see what you think about this chapter, so pls let me know okay?

Thank you for your reviews and support, as well as your wish! Preparing for exams really stressed me out, so I need to take a break and take my time to write(to relax) and I managed to get this chapter done, lols. Well, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well as the previous one :3


	21. Chapter 20 Aishiteru 愛してる

**Author's Note:** And of course! Thank you for reading my story and continue to read onto Chapter 20! I'm so sorry about the long delay. I was busy and everything but I can't say how much I'm happy when I see all the reviews! Thank you so much for all your continuous supports and sorry again for the delay. But here it is now! I finally finished my exams and now I have time to write again!  
Also, as usual, my special thanks goes to **AoKanojo** for the very great help of revising and correcting my chapter. I owed you a lot! Thank you so much for all the help, I really appreciated it! X3  
Okie, to brief you all on this chapter, there's only one sentence I could say. This chapter is the reason this story/fanfic is rated M. Yup, that's all I have to say *evil laughs*  
Well, I'm sure you all are dying to know what happen in this chapter, so I won't keep you here any longer. Here's Chapter 20! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I expected, lols.  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Warning: Rated-M**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

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**Chapter 20 Aishiteru [****愛してる****]**

Hikaru didn't know how much time had passed as countless teardrops fell from her eyes. She gasped for breath before cringing away and sobbing mournfully. She felt so weak. Although her hands were locked in a white-knuckled grip upon the silver haired man in front of her, her body had absolutely no strength.

Akihiko, on the other hand, was both shocked and confused. He'd never seen her cry this hard before. Earlier, when he caught sight of her crimson eyes, even only for a brief moment, he remembered clearly that they were full of despair, as if the world was coming to an end. She looked so sad, so heartbroken that it made him feel torn up inside. From then until now, she still said nothing about what happened. She only cried, her body trembling the whole time. And he felt so useless for not be able to do anything for her, even when she was falling apart right in front of him.

The girl inhaled sharply, gritting her teeth to suppress both her cries and tears. She just couldn't understand what Shinjiro was thinking. Rationally, she was aware of his decision, but her mind was unable to process it, and her heart refused to accept it. How was she supposed to smile and tell him "I understand" when in reality, she didn't? Not in the slightest.

Thinking back and trying to gather her thoughts, Hikaru was surprised that there were still tears left in her body to continue crying. Her heart was shattered into pieces and she felt so empty and hollow inside, yet the tears wouldn't stop. Everything just went blank when he said he was putting an end to whatever they had between them. They weren't lovers, Hikaru was totally aware of that fact. But even without words or definitions, she always thought that she knew what Shinjiro was thinking, or feeling. The way he acted around her, his kind words, or even when he was scolding her, she could sense the warmth and gentleness from him. When their lips connected, his touch, his taste, all of it was so clear to her. But in the end, it seemed like it was just a lie.

Her head shook unconsciously, and she was surprised by the action herself. Her mind simply denied the earlier outcome, regardless of what he'd done just before. The leader of S.E.E.S. pressed her lips together, mulling over everything as her tears began to dry. _It wasn't a lie, s_he thought. _It was real, his touch and his warmth. Everything. I know he didn't lie to me. He didn't pretend to be kind to me. I can't explain why…but my heart tells me so._

Her hand slowly let go of Akihiko's sleeve and landed on her left chest, above her heart. It took a moment before Hikaru finally lifted her head up, using the back of her hand to rub the bottom of her eyes as Akihiko just looked at her in confusion.

"Hikaru…?" he called softly, taking a step back to give her some space. The girl nodded her head slightly to show her appreciation. Somehow, even when her heart was still throbbing in torment and agony, her ruby eyes were determined. Crying solved nothing, she knew that much.

Taking in a deep breath, she looked up, deep into the grey eyes that were staring straight at her. She had been so weak, complying and obediently following everything Shinjiro told her to do. It was time to do things differently. She'd show him how stubborn she could really be!

"I'm sorry, Akihiko-senpai. Please don't ask me anything yet. There's something I must do."

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**The Next Day – October 3****rd**

**1F Dorm Lounge – Evening**

After hurriedly finishing all her club activities, Hikaru returned to the dorm; though using the words 'sprinted back' would be more accurate in this case. She was panting slightly as she entered the lounge and was quite surprised to see that no one was around, except Shinjiro and Koromaru.

The man in burgundy pea coat lifted his head up at the sound of the door and Hikaru could see him stiffen when he saw that it was her. The girl exhaled, removing her shoes.

"Where's everyone?" she asked in a neutral tone, looking sideways to avoid looking him in the eye. There was a brief, awkward moment of silence as both of them feigned normalcy.

"I don't know about the others, but Aki said he'd be doing some special training to prepare for the operation tomorrow and Kirijo has to do some paperwork for her company," came the equally neutral answer from Shinjiro. The leader of S.E.E.S. merely nodded as a response.

"Yukari and Fuuka told me that they're going to show Aigis around town. Junpei and Ken-kun are probably with them, I guess." She took a pause, chewing her lip hesitantly before approaching him. Shinjiro noticed that and, despite the fact that he said nothing to it, Hikaru was aware that he kept his gaze on her the whole time. He looked down at her as she stopped before him.

"What?" he asked and the brunette was able to see the hint of grief within his eyes. She pressed her lips together, knowing full well that the look in her own was no different. Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke.

"I have one last request to ask," she began, earning a sigh from him, but she chose to ignore it. "This'll be the last time I'll bother you, just listen to what I have to say." Shinjiro's response was just a slow exhale, his gaze fixed on her in silence, so Hikaru took that as an opportunity to continue. "You said you won't be here after tomorrow…and I understand that. I just want that, during this last night, you be with me. I won't ask for anything more and I won't bother you after this, I promise."

It took Shinjiro a few seconds to take it all in. Once he came to the realization of what she was asking, his body tensed up.

"I already told you it's the end. What the hell are you saying now?" Though he tried to sound all serious and irritated, Hikaru could see a very faint shade of pink on his face and that gave her courage to do what she was about to do.

She breathed in, both hands tightly seizing the collar of Shinjiro's pea coat as she used her full strength to pull him in, to press her lips against his in a kiss. The unexpected move from her caused his brown eyes to widen, but when her tongue slipped past his parting lips, all thoughts in his mind were wiped out completely. No matter how tough he was, a passionate kiss from the girl he loved was the one thing he couldn't fight against. Shinjiro slowly closed his eyes, taking control of the kiss and at the end she was the one who was panting, gasping for air as their lips separated.

Hikaru looked deep into his eyes, baring all emotions within her heart with that gaze. "I love you… Please… Just this one night… _Hold me_."

The man swallowed, feeling strong desire burning inside him. Her last declaration, especially the way she voiced it, told him all the meanings behind those words and it was the same thing, the same wish he had buried deep in his heart.

The assent in her eyes was the last thing he needed, and the hunger that it had awakened was far too great to suppress. His hand snatched her wrist, hastily pulling her to follow him with firm yet gentle strength. It was only a matter of seconds until they reached Shinjiro's room. The man seemed to hesitate a bit before opening the door and going in, taking the girl as well.

Once she was inside, Shinjiro halted for a moment, letting go of her wrist and turning back to face her, still holding the door open.

"You know what'll happen… I'll say this once… This is your last chance to go back. If you don't, I won't let you go after this." He stated, sounding as serious as he could be.

A faint smile appeared on her lips. _He can be so dull sometimes._ As if she was going to back down after all this. After pondering briefly, Hikaru simply shook her head, causing the other party to close the door quietly, turning the lock with his fingers. He still seemed a bit reluctant as he approached her. The brunette reached her hand out to touch his strong arm with a reassuring touch.

"You're a real piece of work, y'know that?" He scoffed, attempted to sound cross, but he failed miserably as she looked at him with those beautiful eyes.

"I know." She smiled sweetly, looking down to the floor before gazing up again. This time, her glance was tinged with desire. "Just this one night… Show me…your true feelings…"

No more words were needed as Shinjiro's lips crashed upon hers in a passionate kiss. It was different from all the times before—the way his tongue invaded her mouth, the way he drew away her taste, it was so strong. He had reached the limit of his patience. Now was the time to release everything he had repressed inside. This kiss was the proof of it; it was so possessive that Hikaru had to pull back, gasping for air shortly after. Just this one kiss caused her whole body to burn with lustful sensation.

"S…enpai.." was the first word that left her lips. Her breath became shallow and her face was flushed. He'd never been this brazen before.

"I'm not your senpai." He corrected, staring into her red orbs.

"T-Then what are you and me tonight? Just total strangers?" She teased, though she stuttered a bit due to his sharp gaze. Shinjiro just smirked, his hand ruffling at her hair before he brought them to his face, taking in her scent, causing Hikaru to blush deep red.

"I don't know about 'us'," he paused, smiling at her seductively and that made the girl's face turned even redder. It was the first time she'd ever seen him like this, and despite her embarrassment, she was aroused by his unusual behavior. Shinjiro caught her reaction quickly; his smile widened as he narrowed his eyes. "But tonight, _you're mine_."

After he said the words, her lips were captured by his once again, even more demanding than the last kiss. Her back was pressed up against the wall and the kiss was deepened. Shinjiro growled with desire, still not breaking the kiss as he moved closer, pinning her with his own body, earning a soft moan from her throat. Hikaru could feel his warmth even through the clothing. She let out a shuddering, ragged breath. When their lips separated, both of them were panting, exchanging heated glances.

Shinjiro leaned down for another kiss, his tongue exploring her in such a manner that it set the girl ablaze. She'd never felt like this before, so needy, so _lustful_.

As if he could sense her yearning, or quite probably because he had the same need, the man continued to seek the sweetness of her tongue. His right hand slid down to her thigh as he held it up, grinding his hips into hers and a blissful sound pierced through the silence. Her figure twitched slightly, responding to him by arching her lower half, causing him to groan as the heated wave shot down his spine. He didn't bother to break the kiss as he took off his pea coat, throwing it to the floor. Hikaru brought her hand up and ran her fingers through his hair, removing his beanie in process, which, for the first time, Shinjiro didn't mind being off.

The kiss grew more fervent and desperate. The girl's moans were getting louder as the male drove his hips toward hers harder, sending the jolt of excitement up her body. Finally, it was too much. She jerked back from the kiss, looking deep into his eyes.

"Shinji…" she called him breathlessly, drawing another short breath. Even Shinjiro was surprised by the way she called him, though he wasn't able to focus on that fact much as she continued. "_I need you…_"

Once again, the longing he held for her overwhelmed him. Shinjiro gently picked her up and headed for the bed. As her back touched the covers, he began to trace his lips along her smooth skin, leaving trails of kisses from the back of her ear down to her pale neck and collarbone. He stopped at the base of her throat, applied more pressure onto the touch, creating a dark red mark upon her untainted skin. He gazed down at her, satisfied with the work he'd done. It was evidence that tonight, she belonged to _him_, and _him alone_.

Hikaru gasped softly as she felt his warm hands reach down and travel up under her skirt, spreading the heat onto her cool skin and caused her to fidget a bit. Her hands gripped tightly at the sheets when his fingers gently brushed against her inner thigh, playing with the softness of her flesh. Seeing her reaction, Shinjiro lifted his head up to stare into her eyes, a meaningful smirk appeared on his face as the tips of his fingers caressed her sensitive area.

"A…Ah…" she moaned, eyes unfocused while white hot pleasure washed over her. The man chuckled, slipped his finger past the thin fabric and into her core. Her body twisting and trembled hard, but she was unconsciously arching herself to feel more of his touch. Her cries filled the room, and Shinjiro was enjoying every bit of her moans. The way she reached out and clutched him, the way she looked at him with those hungry eyes, all of it only made him want her even more.

As he felt her shivering harder and harder, near her release, he was more than willing to continue pleasuring her and make her reach absolute ecstasy. However, just as he attempted to do so, she grabbed his wrist, preventing his hand from moving. The unexpected move caused him to look at her in confusion, only to see her breathing heavily, slowly lifting her head up and looking at him with hazy eyes.

"_I need you… Shinji…_" She whispered again, voice quivering with excitement. Shinjiro swallowed hard, inhaling sharply at her request. He was aching to _feel _her, to become one with her for so long. Hearing this, there was no way he could hope to restrain his desire for her any longer. He snapped back to reality as he felt her fingers brushing against his side. Hikaru sat up, pressing her lips to his neck. Her hands reached downward, sliding under his turtleneck and making contact with his bare skin, causing the man to tense up, letting out a long exhale but remaining silent. He raised his arms, allowing her to pull at his shirt and remove it from his body, revealing his toned structure. He heard a murmur of approval coming from her upon seeing his form and a light grin crept up his face. His gaze locked onto her, watching his beloved girl move closer and plant a kiss on his chest. He pressed his lips together, sustaining the sound within his throat when she opened her mouth, her tongue softly grazing over his hot skin.

Impatiently, Shinjiro pulled her up and sealed her lips with another ardent kiss. The brunette jerked slightly in surprise but quickly responded to the touch, hands stretching down to unbuckle his belt and unzipping his lower garment in the process. He did the same with her uniform, taking less than a minute to take off her shirt, carelessly tossing it away. With a flick of his finger, the last of her upper clothing was off and she was half-naked before him. She inhaled sharply, feeling him tense up again once her hand reached down to his erection. He broke the kiss, grabbed ahold of her wrists, and gently pushed her down on her back, pinning her arms to either side. Hikaru gazed up, only to see that his eyes were dark with lust, matching her own.

Shinjiro bent down, grazing his hot tongue over her exposed flesh as his hand went down to undo her skirt. Hikaru lifted her hips so he could take it off, followed by her undergarments. Out of embarrassment, she avoided his gaze by looking to the side and he took the chance to shrug off his remaining clothes until he was in the same state as her.

A soft kiss on the palm got Hikaru's attention. Turning to face him, she was blushing deep red even after what happened up until this point. Shinjiro merely chuckled, giving her a tender smile as he kissed her palm again, conveying the feelings inside his heart. She edged closer, her eyes giving him the last confirmation he needed. He kneeled down, eyes fixed on her face as he entered her, as slow as he possibly could. Despite all that, Hikaru still had to clench her eyes shut when tormenting pain pierced through her body. She put her arms around his neck, fingers digging into his back as she could feel more of him. Shinjiro paused for a moment, covering her body all over in kisses in an attempt to keep her mind off the pain. Once she was more relaxed, he thrust in all the way, gaining a sharp gasp from the girl. He sighed, bending down to kiss the bottom of her eyes, wiping away the warm tears with his tongue. Holding her with care, Shinjiro started to move when she gave him a reassuring nod. Her face still showed slight pain and she was biting her lips, attempting to withhold her whimpers.

Her nails dug into his flesh hard enough that Shinjiro had to wince from the pain, but compared to her, this was nothing. Hurting her was the last thing he wanted to do, though he was fully aware it was impossible given the fact that he was the first one for her. The man clenched his teeth, trying to suppress the scorching desire within him. It was only a matter of seconds until he heard low moans escaping her lips. Her delicate body shook harder and she wrapped her arms around his neck as if to grab hold and steady herself. She brought her lips to his ear, whispering breathlessly.

"M…More…" she pleaded; hot breath brushing against his skin, and that was it. He began to move faster, taking in the vision of her face twisting in pleasure.

"Feel me… Hikaru…" Shinjiro demanded huskily and Hikaru had to arch her back, desperate to feel more of him as her hips bucked against his unconsciously, trying to keep up with his rhythm. Several moans of pleasure echoed within the quiet room as they lost themselves in the realm of intoxicating bliss. It was so alluring, sweet, and sinful that neither of them could think straight as pure pleasure overtook them. No words were needed as their bodies communicated with each other in an enchanted moment. That night, in that one moment, all feelings and emotions that had been sealed inside were released as their souls bonded in dazzling union under the moonlight.

"S-Shinji…! Shinji…!" Hikaru moaned out his name again and again, feeling the pleasure rising up that she could no longer bear it. She threw her head back, screaming at the top of her voice. "I-I can't…! S-Shinjiiiii!" Her voice trailed off as she reached her climax. Throwing her head back, the girl let her mind fill with the overwhelming sensation. It took Shinjiro only few seconds later before his body went rigid, his grip on her wrists tightening.

"H-Hikaru..! I'm…!" He groaned out, his seed erupted inside of her, and he felt her body shudder in response to his orgasm. He pushed in deep, releasing himself into her as she moaned back, her whole body stiff and jerking uncontrollably. Shinjiro let out a long sigh, slowly pulling himself out and slumping onto the bed next to his beloved. The moans that were filling the room now disappeared completely; only the faint sound of breathing could be heard.

Shinjiro inhaled, stretching out his arm to pull Hikaru close to him, embracing her gently and lovingly. The girl smiled, one hand reaching out to trace her finger along the shape of his face. Her eyelids slowly began to close as she drifted off to sleep.

"I…love you… Shinji…" was the last sentence she managed to get out before falling into a deep slumber. Meanwhile, Shinjiro was lying on his side, staring at her in silence as he memorized every detail of her face. His smile softened upon hearing those three words from her, but his expression suddenly saddened shortly after.

"I'm being selfish, aren't I?" He muttered to himself, bringing his hand up to caress her cheeks and brushing away strands of her hair. Taking hold of her soft hand, he kissed it gently, pressing her palm to his face and absorbing her warmth, her gentleness. It was just as well that Hikaru wasn't awake to see the expression on Shinjiro's face, as his gaze upon her was anguished and tortured. Looking at her sleeping so calmly, the knowledge that he had to let this person go was agonizing.

_She's an angel…who fell into arms of a monster like me… A fallen angel…_

Shinjiro bit his lip at the thought. He tightened his embrace, holding her near and dear to his heart. Leaning down, he whispered in her ears, knowing that, although she couldn't hear the words, it might be the only time he might ever get to say them.

"Aishiteru zo… Hikaru…"*

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*Side Note: Aishiteru is the strongest way to say 'I love you' in Japanese. The word –zo is merely a Japanese sentence ending particle that functions like an exclamation point in English. For more info, please refer to the link below.

About 'I love you' in Japanese – japanese . about . com/library/weekly/aa021101a . htm

About Japanese sentence ending particles – japanese . about . com/library/weekly/aa110401a . htm

Just delete the extra space before and after the dot(s) "." :3

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P.S. Ah, for those who don't like Japanese phrase in the story, I'm sorry about that. But for me, 'Aishiteru' is a special word and that it is the strongest way to say 'I love you' to someone in Japanese. I think it's just very perfect for Shinjiro since I want to convey how much and how strongly Shinji loved Hikaru. I don't want Shinji to just say 'I love you'. Don't get me wrong, 'I love you' is okay, but I just really want to show the fondness he held for Hikaru, so I decided to use Japanese words/phrases in this case. Well, I hope you'll like it.

And to be honest, this chapter is the hardest chapter I have ever written for this story. I never knew that writing love scenes would be this difficult. I know it wasn't easy, but I didn't expect it to be this hard. One of the reasons may due to my lack of vocabulary and that English is not my first language so I had troubles expressing and conveying the idea in my head. Well, but I tried my best and with the help of my special friend, **AoKanojo**, (for proof-reading, revising and correcting every errors in the chapters) it came out quite okay. My friend and I are quite satisfied with it. I know it's not perfect, but I still hope that all of you would like it. I put a lot of effort to it so please let me know what you think! :3

P.S.2 Now that the sweet and passionate stuff is over, back to reality. Yes, it's October 3rd, so I just want to give you all a heads up, be prepare for next chapter. I'm pretty sure you know what's coming… *evil smiles*

Ah, I guess you're bored of my rambling now, so I'll go on to the answering reviews now x3

**Moonlight and Music**: Heheh, I know previous chapter was a bit too sad and too emotional huh? Well, I won't say I feel worse to Shinji though since I kinda know that after the 'incident', Hikaru would be hurt quite a lot by not be able to have Shinji by her side again. Oh well, let me stop there before I spoil you xD Anyway, this chapter is kind of a make-up chapter for the sadness in previous one. It was quite hard for me, lols, but still, I hope that you'll enjoy it! It took me quite some time to manage to actually finish it. Writing love scenes is harder than I thought xD Ah, but anyway! I hope you'll like this chapter and thank you for your support!

**AoKanojo**: Hehe, well, it is kinda weird isn't it? But still, seeing your review still inspire me as much as before even though I discussed the chapters with you xD I have to say thank you again for helping me, both for previous and this chapter also! I hope I didn't trouble you too much x3 Well, I know that you must've read this chapter for quite number of times, yes? So anyway xD Thank you again for your help and your review! *gives you a VERY big hug* ^^

**Whiteheaven**: Ah, my bad for not specifying the detail in previous chapter. After I read you review, I quickly added in s Small Note just before my answering reviews saying something like 'this chapter (which is the previous chapter) doesn't contain the event after maxing Shinji's Social Link'. Lols, sorry for not stating it clearly before. I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter since it'll be a bit unexpected for you x3 I'm not good at writing love scenes, especially in English, so I tried to avoid it as much as I could. But then again, you were right, Shinji deserves to be happy, or at least he should be able to show his true feelings toward Hikaru, even only for one night. Well, pls let me know what you think x3 And thank you for your support and review!

**Mista**: Ah! Welcome another new read and reviewer! *hands you a cookie as a welcome gift* Wow, knowing that made me feel so happy. Thank you! I'm glad that you like my story. Yeah, Chapter 19 is very cruel, I admitted. That's why I write this chapter to make up for the sadness and angst I put in previous one, so I hope you'll like it! This is the second time I write love scene in Eng, so it was very hard. I know it's not that good but I still wish that you'll enjoy it x3 Thank you very much for your review!

**TifaStrifeinlove**: (*evil laughs* No, I'm kidding, I'm not that evil.) I know, I know. The previous chapter is just too sad, even I felt that way too. I felt quite depress after I finished it. That's why I write this chapter to make up for the previous one! To be honest, I suck at writing love scenes, especially in English, that's why I tried to avoid it if I could. But yeah, Shinji deserves to be happy, at least for one night *smiles evilly*. Ah, I'll stop there before I spoil you. I hope you'll enjoy the chapter and thank you so much for your review! ^^

**neon kun**: Aww, don't be sad. I hope that this chapter would cheer you up! I assured you, it's still a triangle, a love triangle even after Shinji is… um… well… you know what happened in the 'incident'. Now this chapter is totally ShinjixFeMC, and it's a love scene! I'll be expecting to see you review longer (just kidding, lols, but I do expect it a bit xD lols..) Well, anyway, I hope you'll like this chapter and also hope that it would make up for the previous one. Still, thank you for your review and support! :3

**Cielle's Amour**: Yay, I'm glad you like my previous chapter. And I know, right? FeMC(or Hikaru in my story) is kinda stubborn and I get to show that side of her in this chapter. To be honest, writing love scenes is just so hard for me. I envy you how you could added in some 'little love scenes' in your story and described it so well. You have to teach me how! xD (Just kidding.) Well, this chapter is not super sad as you were expecting, but the next chapter will be, please be prepare xD Again, thank you very much for your review and I really look forward to see you update your story too x3!

**Tsuki Rae**: I'm happy to know that you like my previous chapter! To tell you the truth, it was one of my favorite chapters as well. I know it's sad and everything, but I had that scene in my head for so long and I like how it came out. Anyway, your yelling for him to fight back kinda did the trick in this chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it x3 Thank you very much for your review.

**Mistynia**: Ah! Hello hello! Welcome another new reader and reviewer! *hands you a hot cookie* It makes me very happy to see more people enjoying my story! Thank you for taking your time to read and enjoy it! Wow, you read all 19 chapters in one shot? That must take quite long xD I really appreciate that you like it! Well, a little spoiler here but to answer your question, yes, it'll still be a triangle even after the 'incident', just not the same triangle. Ah! I don't want to spoil you too much yet, so we'll have to wait and see x3 I hope that you'll enjoy the love scene in this chapter since it was quite difficult for me to write it x3 Again, thank you for taking time to read my story and to review it as well! I hope to see your review again for this chapter too ^^

**carrieclamp**: Ah, sorry I almost made you cry, though to tell you the truth, writing the previous chapter almost made me cry myself, so we're even? xD Just kidding, anyway, thank you for your wish! My exams were kinda okay, I think xD And to make up for the sadness in the previous chapter, here is sweet/passionate moment between Hikaru and Shinjiro! I hope that you'll like it x3 Thank you for your review and support! :3

**tsuki-no-usagi-kaguya-hime**: No, no, I'm not a sadist! (Neither outside or inside! Though I love to torture my characters, hmm, I may have to rethink some stuffs.) Ah! $1,000,000 is quite a lot of money, so I think I'll have to pass. But your threat did the trick though, that's why I wrote this chapter to make up for the previous one! And don't worry, Nyx will be here even without paying here. I'll summon her myself at the end of my story, so you could wait until then :3 (Haha, I had a big grin on my face when I read your review and even now when I'm answering it. Thank you.) Well, I hope you'll like this chapter and decide to withhold the thought of summoning Nyx now x3 Thank you very much for your review!

**Tachikawa Yuzuki**: Aw, I'm so sorry I almost made you cry. But when I finish the previous chapter, I was so torn too. Well, that's part of the reasons I wrote this chapter, kinda want to make up for the sadness in Chapter 19. I hope that you'll enjoy it and that you don't feel sad anymore! X3 Thank you so much for your support and review!

**Deidara'sgirl19**: Heheh, I'm sorry I had to do that to Shinji, but yeah, you're right. I based most of my decision on the game point of view and I could totally see Shinji feeling like that when he ask FeMC to look after Aki (in his Social Link 10) And yes, you understanding is right, Shinji wanted Hikaru to be happy, though in this chapter, I showed that it wasn't easy even for someone like this (or maybe saying 'especially for someone like him' would be more accurate as he seemed to never have loved anyone before.) I'm glad you didn't kill me though, that's why I wrote out this chapter to make up for the angst and sadness in the previous one, I hope you'll like it.

Also, about Koromaru, I used to think he was a Shiba Inu as well, that's why I referred to him as Shiba Inu in my earlier chapters. But then Mihaellawliet told me that he's an Akita and that the makers of P3 based him on Hachiko of a Japanese story (in which portrayed in game when he loved his master so much.) I don't know about the details though since I don't know Japanese but it seemed reasonable so I changed from Shiba Inu to Akita. I'm still not sure since I don't have proof anywhere x3

And yes! I read your story and I have to say 'OMG!' out loud when I finish it. Really, the ending was very well-written and touching. I could feel the emotions and sensation the characters were feeling. It was so sad, yet so beautiful. You put in a lot of hint for the sequel as well so I started reading your sequel. Great opening, very logical and reasonable carry forward from 'Only You'. But really, I love how you describe why Minako said 'Only You', I was looking forward to see the meaning behind your story title and it was amazing. You did a very great job on it. I'll be looking forward to your update on your sequel too!

Ah, I'll stop here, I started to ramble on again x3 So yeah, thank you for your review and I hope you'll like this chapter!

**Mihaellawliet**: Heheh, yeah, the previous chapter was kinda sad huh? Well, you wish came true now! The love scene is here and to be honest, it was sooooo hard writing this chapter! I never thought writing love scenes would be so difficult. I struggled throughout the whole chapter and I don't know if it came out good enough or not. I'll let you be the judge of that. Let me know what you think, okay? Still, thank you for your review and support!


	22. Chapter 21 Eclipse

**Author's Note:** Okay, first of all, I have to give my deepest apology to you all for the very late update. There's so much going on right now and I'm very busy with my studies and everything. I no longer have much free time as I used to. Many things happened during the time I disappeared, both good and bad, but I have to say thank you to you all for the continuous supports and reviews. Thank you very much for bearing with me and continue to follow on my story.

***Important Note* **To be clear, this chapter is not my work alone. My special thank you goes to my special friend, **AoKanojo **for contributed so much for this story, especially in this chapter. I think some of you might be able to notice that some of the words, phrases and dialogues within this chapter are not my writing style, and yes, they weren't written by me but by my friend, **AoKanojo. **She helped me rewrite the chapter and added in many parts in which, at the end, I could say that this whole chapter was written by _both _of us. If you like this chapter, partial credits of it goes to my special friend here. So please don't forget to give her your appreciation too :3

Also, I won't be briefing you for this chapter since I'm still in kind of a hurry. I have a test tomorrow morning, so I'll have to keep this short. Here's Chapter 21, I really hope that you'll enjoy this writing piece me and my friend put a lot of effort in creating it :3  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Warning: In-game spoilers for October 4****th**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

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**Chapter 21 Eclipse**

**The Next Day – October 4****th**

**Shinjiro's Room – Early Morning**

The morning finally came as the sun shone brightly in the clear sky. Faint golden rays pierced through the window and glimmered over the two figures lying still beneath the blanket. The light shimmered over the small, delicate girl who murmured, then shifted slightly as her consciousness slowly returned to her body.

Hikaru breathed in silence, smiling lightly when she noticed the strong arm wrapped loosely around her waist. Her eyelids rose up, only to see the familiar, gentle brown gaze upon her. She smiled into his eyes, moving closer and allowing her arms to drape around his structure. A faint sigh escaped her lips as she buried her face in his chest.

The man made a simple sound in his throat which sounded like 'hmm?' with a hint of confusion at the end. Hikaru pressed her lips together, trying to immerse herself within his scent.

"I was so afraid…that when I woke up… You'd be gone…" She mumbled against his chest, still not meeting his eyes. Her smile quickly saddened as the realization hit her. She had to let him go. She had to.

Shinjiro said nothing to that. He simply tightened his embrace, closing his eyes when tormenting pain pierced through his heart. He wanted to comfort her, to tell her that he'd never leave her. However, this was the last moment he'd have with her, and he didn't want to leave her with just another lie. So in the end, all he could do was gently pull her up and capture her lips in another intoxicating kiss. There were no words he could say to make the whole situation better. And he was quite sure Hikaru knew that fact as well, as she made no response other than returning his kiss and urging him to _hold _her once more.

Shinjiro willingly accepted her invitation, and as their bodies and souls became one for the last time, he felt blissful sensation tinged with bittersweet agony when he caught a sight of countless teardrops falling from her eyes. Hikaru just shook her head, clearing out the burning in her red orbs and indulged herself in the realm of pleasure. She wanted to remember him, every last bit of him that she could get, and in that instant both of them shared exactly the same feelings in their hearts.

* * *

**Hikaru's Room – Morning**

Eventually, Hikaru left Shinjiro's room and returned to her own. Closing the door, she couldn't stop the tears from overflowing. It hurt much more than she could have imagined. The knowledge that, from this moment onward, she could no longer see him, hear his voice or have him hold her in his arms was tearing her apart. This time, it was over and she couldn't do anything about it.

The brunette fell to her knees, hugging herself tightly as she let out a long, painful cry. Her body was shaking, bursting with emotions she had to suppress if she was to keep herself from running back to Shinjiro and begging him not to go. She promised him that all she wanted was one last night for them to be together, but of course it was a lie.

It wasn't just one night that she wanted, but for him to be forever by her side. She was selfish for thinking this, as she knew full well. It was too much to ask, and it was impossible given that she couldn't even give him all of her heart.

The girl flinched at the thought, guilt and shame flowing back to torture her once again. How could she be thinking this? Demanding all this when it was all her fault to begin with? Maybe losing him was her just desserts, as punishment for falling for two guys at once.

Hikaru laughed bitterly, letting out yet another long sigh. This had gone for long enough, and she already hurt both of them beyond compare. Being with Shinjiro last night had straightened her out. If she felt this way, she had to admit it and move on. Even if she lost them both, she now knew what she had to do. Because of her indecision, all three of them had suffered all this time. Now, she just had to get it all out and, whatever the consequences, she would bear it all.

* * *

**2F Hallway – Morning**

Akihiko was about to head downstairs when he heard the sound of a door opening next to him. The boxer turned his head to see his best friend exiting his room. His eyebrows rose up at the sight, as it was quite unusual for them to run into each other like this.

"Shinji?" he called out, gaining the other's attention but getting nothing in response. The two gazes met in silence as Shinjiro locked his door, swinging the bag behind him. Noticing the object, Akihiko suddenly paused. "Where are you going?"

A long exhale broke the silence. "Mind your own business, Aki," was his reply as he walked past his friend. However, he was detained by a firm grip on his shoulder.

"Oi!" Akihiko tightened his hold, causing Shinjiro to finally turn his head, looking at him in the eye. "Answer me, Shinji."

"I'm done answering your damn questions, Aki," he scoffed, staring into the flaming grey eyes. He had no intention to get into a fight with his best friend right now as there were certain things on his mind and business to take care of. Thinking that, he brushed Akihiko's hand off and turned so he was fully facing his friend. His face was serious. "Before I go, I have something to say to you."

The change of the tone and the sudden serious expression made the silver haired man flinch a bit. His brows scrunched together in puzzlement, but he chose to keep silence, implying that he would listen. Shinjiro took that as an opportunity to go on.

"Take care of Hikaru." It was a bit of a struggle for Shinjiro to address the girl by her first name, and the sentence confused Akihiko even more than the previous one.

"What? Why do you even-"

"Just do it, Aki." Shinjiro cut him off. Once again, the seriousness in his tone and expression did an effective job of stopping whatever the other party was about to say. "You like her, don't you? You told me yourself."

There was a brief moment of silence as the boxer tried to take it all in. A nod followed. "I like her, yes. But what does that have to do with-" His reply was sharply halted when Shinjiro's hand grabbed at his shirt, fiercely pulling him up so that they were inches apart, face to face.

"Listen to me, Aki," he said in an intense voice, not breaking the eye contact. "You better be serious about her. Take care of her. Protect her. I won't forgive you if you ever make her cry again." His hand slowly loosened as he averted his eyes away. "Make her happy. I know you can."

With that last sentence said, Shinjiro quickly walked off without giving Akihiko a chance to respond. By looking into those grey eyes, even tinged with confusion, he could see the confirmation he needed. It was the one thing he needed to know so he would have no regrets. He knew his friend would never let anything happen to _her_.

"W-Wait! Shinji!" Akihiko called after his friend, but Shinjiro was gone before he could say anything more. The man sighed, knowing that even if he followed his friend and questioned him further, he wouldn't get any real answers.

Shaking his head, Akihiko quietly made his way downstairs. The words his friend left with him, and the feelings they evoked, continued to resound in his mind.

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**1F Dorm Lounge – Afternoon**

It was already the middle of the day by the time Hikaru finally managed to get herself in order and muster the courage to go downstairs. To her surprise, there was no one in the living area except Akihiko, who lifted his head up at the sound of her footsteps. A relieved smile painted his face.

"Hika—I mean-…Akane." He stopped midway after realizing how casually he addressed her lately. The girl just smiled at his reaction, approaching him slowly.

"Hikaru is okay, Akihiko-senpai," she told him, still wearing a faint yet gentle smile on her face. She figured it would be okay to allow him to call her by her first name, given that there was no one around. The silver haired man rubbed the back of his neck with a blush on his face, trying to shrug off his embarrassment. At least with her calling him 'Akihiko' (with –senpai at the end, of course), it did make him feel a little more comfortable. "Where's everyone?"

"I'm not sure," he answered, feeling more relaxed as Hikaru sat down on the couch in front of him. "I think they are saving their strength for tonight. I did run into Shinji earlier though." The mention of Shinjiro's name caused Hikaru to flinch unconsciously. Catching her unusual behavior, Akihiko couldn't help but ask. "Are you alright?"

"I…" she murmured, hesitating on how to phrase it. She bit the inside of her lip before continuing. "I need to talk to you," she said before stopping again, hands balling into fists as she rested them on her knees. Even with her mind made up that she had to do this, it wasn't easy at all.

"Yes?" he urged, and that didn't make it easier for Hikaru as she pressed her lips together nervously.

"I-I'm sorry…" she finally began, lifting her head up to look into his eyes. "I actually don't know where to begin, but I owe you an apology." Hikaru paused, not breaking the eye contact. "The reason I never told you how I feel. The reason why I was running away from you, or avoiding you, it's because my heart is owned by two people," She paused, letting out a long exhale but still keeping her gaze on the man in front of her. "By you… and Shinjiro-senpai."

Akihiko couldn't explain how he was feeling at the moment he learned the truth. It took him quite a while to absorb it. His grey eyes widened in shock, slight happiness and confusion. He couldn't tell which one struck him the most.

"U-Uh…" The boxer finally broke his own silence. Though it wasn't what he was expected to hear, he couldn't say it surprised him that much. Somehow, a part of him had already been aware of this and, with her admitting it directly, it was an affirmation of what he suspected. "So you…and Shinji…"

Hikaru nodded, yet she felt it was necessary for her to tell him the truth behind it all. At least it was what she felt he deserved to know.

"It was nearly a month ago. I told Shinjiro-senpai that I was falling for him," she said, recalling the night when it all began. "At that time, I didn't know what it was. It was all new to me. I've never been in love, or fallen for anyone. He was the first person I've ever feel this way about."

Akihiko felt slight uneasiness within his heart upon hearing what she was saying. The feeling wasn't pleasant, but he kept quiet, implying he wanted her to go on. And she did.

"We weren't exactly lovers. He never said he loved me, and I didn't ask him to do so since I wasn't sure of this feeling myself. I just wanted to be with him. Having him by my side made me feel safe and comfortable." She took another pause, eyes studying Akihiko's expression. "And then… I don't even know when, I started to notice you."

Hikaru could see the surprise covering his face at the sudden mention of him. She had to hide her smile and continue before she lost the courage to do so.

"It was like you appeared out of nowhere. You were always there for me, taking care of me. Your gentleness, your touch, somehow, I'd grown attached to them. The next thing I knew, I was also longing for you. To feel your warmth, your kindness." Blood was rushing to her face as she said this. It became more difficult for her to keep looking at him in the eyes, but she felt the need to. It was right then that she noticed his face was also red.

"Hikaru…" he whispered, as his gaze toward her grew gentler, full of affection.

"I…I didn't know what to do." Her voice trembled a bit as she tried to restrain her feelings. "I told you before… I'm not used to having someone get so worried about me. To be so kind to me. I felt so guilty, doing this to both of you, but I couldn't stop my feelings. I fell for Shinjiro-senpai, but I also couldn't get you out of my mind."

Her hands clenched together harder, attempting to keep her voice even. "I know I'm selfish and I'm sorry. That's why I just couldn't face you when you told me you like me, because I couldn't return your feelings… I couldn't give all my heart to you." Despite her effort, tiny droplets of tears started to form in her eyes. She bit her lip, trying to hold them back.

She didn't want to cry. She didn't want him to feel sorry for her. All she wanted was for him to know the truth. Shaking, Hikaru forced herself to continue.

"You have every right to hate me. And I would understand if you never want to see me again. I just had to tell you all this. I couldn't keep this from you anymore." Her crimson eyes were full of tears now, but she just shook her head, clearing them out to focus her gaze on him once again. "Shinjiro-senpai said he'd no longer be here after today, so he decided to end everything with me. I just… I don't understand why… I know I'm selfish, but… but…!"

"Wait…" Akihiko cut her off, her previous sentence immediately grabbing his attention and stirring unease inside him. "Shinji said he's not going to be here after today?"

"Y-Yes… But he wouldn't tell me why…" Hikaru answered faintly, breathing hard and wiped off her tears with the back of her hand, while Akihiko suddenly stopped, all the words his best friend said earlier were coming back to him.

'_You better be serious about her. Take care of her. Protect her. I won't forgive you if you ever make her cry again.'_

'_Make her happy. I know you can.'_

"He knew…that I like you…" The sentence left his lips without him knowing it, and it caused the girl to look at him in confusion.

"W-What do you mean?" She held back her sobs, asking curiously.

"That night. The night you fainted in Tartarus. I confronted him and asked him if he liked you. Shinji denied everything, so I tried to get a reaction out of him by confessing my feelings about you," he explained, thinking hard. "I was quite sure that he liked you as well, but when he strongly denied it, I couldn't force him to admit."

"But…" Hikaru gasped, struck by the shocking truth. "Shinjiro-senpai never told me about it. He never mentioned it to me."

It was then Akihiko realized the reason behind everything that happened. It was so clear to him now. All the words Shinjiro said to him earlier as if he was entrusting Hikaru to him. The gaze and feeling within those brown eyes every time he looked at her.

_You love her. _He thought, gritting his teeth when emotions started to overtake him. _You love her, yet you never admitted it. You never told me. So that whenever you decided to leave us, you could entrust Hikaru to me, knowing that I like her and I'll protect her no matter what._

"He didn't want us to know." He said through his gritted teeth. "That way, if he was gone, I'd look after you and you would never have to feel guilty to be with me." This made Hikaru's eyes widen in shock, tears falling down her face at that instant. Everything he did, it was all for her. He hurt himself in order to make her happy. He was willing to suffer for _them_ to be happy, for her and Akihiko.

"Damn it…" The man cursed, clenching his hand into a fist as his body trembling with anger. "Damn it! How could you think that she'd be happy with me if you're gone? You idiot! Shinji!"

Suddenly, Akihiko put two and two together and was struck with a wave of overwhelming horror: the sentiments that Shinjiro had left with him, and the words that he had said to Hikaru: _Shinjiro-senpai said he'd no longer be here after today._ Today…today was October 4!

The grey-eyed youth grabbed at the girl's wrist and began pulling her along with him with desperate urgency, taking Hikaru by complete surprise. "W-what? Where are we going?" She asked, utterly bewildered by the unexpected action.

"No time to explain! We have to find Shinji, NOW!" Akihiko, with Hikaru in tow, sped towards the most likely place his best friend would be, hoping he would make it in time for Shinjiro's sake…for the sake of them all.

* * *

**Tatsumi Port Island – Back Alley – Dark Hour**

Akihiko and Hikaru ran as fast as their feet would allow, abruptly skidding to a halt in stunned, unbelieving silence and finding the worst scenario played out before them. Hikaru felt her blood turn cold upon catching the sight before her.

Shinjiro was lying on the ground, his body soaked in blood while Ken was standing there next to him, eyes wide with horror, the two figures framed in a ghastly tableau of shadow awash with crimson. The leader of S.E.E.S. rushed toward Shinjiro's side and fell to her knees. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"N-No… No.. This can't be happening…" she gasped, unable to think straight. There was so much blood, too much to allow for denial and belief that he would be all right. She had to do something, anything. Her trembling hand instinctively darted for her Evoker, but Shinjiro's strong hand stopped her midway.

"Don't," he said softly, almost a whisper. He knew what she was thinking. "It won't work in a case like this. Don't waste your energy…" Hikaru's hand dropped to her side as she inhaled sharply in alarm at the touch. His hand was freezing, and his face was pale, as a testament to the growing pool of blood that was spreading beneath him. Hikaru curled against Shinjiro's side, heedless of the gore, wishing this was only some kind of nightmare. Shinjiro was fading with each passing second, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Oi! Shinji! Hang in there!" Akihiko kneeled down next to his best friend, pressing his palm on the wounded chest in an attempt to stop the bleeding. "Don't you dare die on me! Shinji!"

Shinjiro choked out even more blood, but a small smile appeared on his lips. He reached his hand out, stroking Hikaru's cheek and gently wiping the tears away.

"Why… did you come…? Idiot…" he said faintly, fingers leaving dark red lines on her delicate face. "You should…never have known about this… and just forgotten about me." He then turned to his best friend. "You too…Aki… You should've let me be… and just protected her like I told you to… just be happy…" A wet-sounding, rasping breath forced its way out. "I know…how much you love her… I know…you can make her smile… That is how it should be…"

As it was, the current situation was more than Hikaru could bear. There was red everywhere: spilled across the ground, plastered against her clothes and skin, and more pouring from the body of her beloved with every heartbeat. She could feel Shinjiro growing colder and colder as his life slipped away. To hear Shinjiro say such words so carelessly, about moving on and forgetting his memory, unleashed a fresh torrent of tears down Hikaru's face and a knifing agony through her heart that goaded her to sit bolt upright with sorrow and fury. It was just too much.

"HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT!" she screamed, unaware that the anger and emotions within her heart had taken over. Even Akihiko recoiled at the volume of her shout and the ferocity of her outburst. Something inside her had snapped. "How could you expect me to be happy when you're GONE! How could I ever forget you after all we've been through! How could you do this…! You can't…! YOU JUST CAN'T!"

"Hikaru…" Her name escaped Akihiko's lips in shock. Never before had he seen her burning with so much rage, or sunk so deeply into despair.

"Idiot," Shinjiro scoffed, breathing shallowly as it became more difficult for him to do so. "You should just forget about me… Or hate me for it… It'd be…a lot easier if you do…"

"But I WOULDN'T," she objected fervently, eyes full of tears when she looked up at him. "You should know that I wouldn't…I couldn't do that to you… I'd never…" The brunette struggled desperately to repress her grief with little success, beginning to sob audibly.

"To hell with that Shinji!" Akihiko exclaimed, after being silent for quite some time. "How could you think I would want things to be like THIS? How could you do this, Shinji! You love Hikaru, yet you never told me about it. You should've said something!" Unlike Shinjiro, who knew about Hikaru's sentiments already, Akihiko had only learned that night that she harbored feelings for both of them. But Akihiko was the kind of man that wanted to do everything justly—he would rather have competed with Shinjiro fair and square. Never would he have wished for an outcome like this as a means of becoming the sole recipient of Hikaru's affections. A situation like this should never have happened. "I never wanted things to end up like this…" Akihiko murmured sadly.

"It wouldn't change anything, Aki…" Shinjiro stated, giving his friend a faint smile. "What difference would it have made if I told you…? In the end, I had to do this… you know why…" He continued, glancing over to the young boy who stood frozen not too far away, still speechless. "Take care of him too, Aki."

"Yeah…" The silver haired man nodded, calling on the reserves of his willpower to clamp down on the whirlwind of feeling inside of him. In truth, Akihiko was as badly shaken by Shinjiro's cruel reality as Hikaru was—he and Shinjiro had grown up together, known each other for so many years…he was his truest, best friend. However, he knew had to stay strong, for Hikaru's sake, whose overall composure was hanging by a thread.

Shinjiro coughed forcefully, causing a large amount of thick, red liquid to burst from his mouth and widening the gaping wound on his chest, twisting the knife in Hikaru's heart. Seeing him suffering was indescribable torture. She would gladly switch places with him, would do anything to lessen his pain.

Knowing his time was running out, Shinjiro turned to Hikaru once more. He grabbed her hand, holding onto it with all the strength he had left and looked deep into her eyes.

"Hey, don't cry… You…promised me…" He managed a weak laugh, but it caused the girl to cry even harder. Stopping the tears was impossible for her now. How could she not cry when he was like this, when he was about to leave her forever?

"No… Please…don't leave me… Please…! Shinji…" Warm teardrops continued to flow from her eyes. Her voice cracked due to the awareness of what she knew was coming and could not be denied, no matter how much her mind and heart desired to. She brought his hand to her face, clinging to it as if she would never let go.

Shinijiro's eyelids started to flutter closed as his breathing became even fainter than before. Hikaru shook her head violently, continuing the futile attempt to refute what was happening before her eyes. She tightened her grip on his hand painfully, as if she could use it to hold the flickering ember of his presence to life.

"NO! Shinji! You can't! Don't leave me, PLEASE! I LOVE YOU!" she cried out at the top of her lungs, but Shinjiro just smiled at her, gently and lovingly.

"I know…" were the last words that left his mouth before his hand slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground.

Hikaru felt as if her heart stopped beating at that instant. An agonized cry gave way to a scream that pierced through the silent night as Hikaru turned toward the sky, crying her heart out, pushed to the breaking point by the loss. The agony in her chest was of a magnitude that she was sure her soul had been torn from her body. She could neither speak nor think. Nor could her awareness be bothered to take notice of the rushing footsteps and the yelling coming from afar.

"Aragaki!"

"Aragaki-senpai!"

"Aragaki-san!"

"We need to get him to the hospital, now!"

The crushing pain in the place her heart used to be blocked Hikaru's awareness of anything and everything, insensate to Akihiko embracing her tightly in an attempt to calm her. The only thing she could do was weep bitterly, mourning the person who had gone.

* * *

I'm posting this note again, just in case.

***Important Note* **To be clear, this chapter is not my work alone. My special thank you goes to my special friend, **AoKanojo **for contributed so much for this story, especially in this chapter. I think some of you might be able to notice that some of the words, phrases and dialogues within this chapter are not my writing style, and yes, they weren't written by me but by my friend **AoKanojo. **She helped me rewrite parts of the chapter and added in many other parts in which, at the end, I could say that this whole chapter was written by _both _of us. If you like this chapter, partial credits of it goes to my special friend here. So please don't forget to give her your appreciation too :3

P.S. Once again, I'm sorry that I don't have enough time to answer the reviews individually. I have a test tomorrow morning and finals are coming up in less than a month. But I've read all of the reviews several times and they were the source of my imagination and what contributed and inspired me to write. My thanks goes to **Whiteheaven**, **TifaStrifeinlove**, **Moonlight and Music**, **Deidara'sgirl19**, **Cielle's Amour**, **Mistynia**, **neon kun**, **AoKanojo**, **(nameless reviewer)**, **Tsuki Rae**, **Tachikawa Yuzuki**, **tsuki-no-usagi-kaguya-hime**, **Mista**, **carrieclamp**,** pchan17**,** lola**, **PrincessTsubasa**, **Mihaellawliet**, **kikycruise**, and **sarahjaneraine**! Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews and supports!

And I have to say I'm sorry but I'm not sure when I will be able to update again since my finals are coming up. As I said earlier, there're a lot of things going on here and I don't have much time as I used to. So I can't promise anything other than I'll try my best to update as soon as possible. I'm very grateful to see that so many people are enjoying my story and I won't disappoint any of you. I'll do my best and I promise you that I won't leave this story unfinished, you have my word. I'm sure I'll be able to find some free time later on, so I'm sorry I have to keep you guys waiting but I won't disappoint you, really.

Thank you all again for your supports. I'll do my best.

**Holy Leonheart**


	23. Chapter 22 Oath and Promise

***Special Note* I don't know if all of you already know this or not, but I've posted a Side Story for this story Wings of Dreams. It's kind of like series of one-shot which I randomly thought up and write into chapters. If any of you are interested, here's the link. I hope you enjoy it. :3  
**www . fanfiction . net/s/6525445/1/Wings_of_Dreams_Side_Story – Don't forget to delete extra spaces before and after the dot(.)

**Author's Note:** Hello. Long time no see everyone. I owe you a big apology for this very late update. I'm very sorry that I haven't been able to update for so long. There was so much going on for the past months and I really don't have time to get back to write this story at all. And now, I have midterms coming in about two weeks. So after this update, I may not be able to update again so soon. Again, I'm really sorry about this, but as I told you, there's so much going on in my life right now, but still, I'll update this story to the very end. Don't worry, I won't drop it.  
However, I have to say thank you to all of the readers and reviewers for reading and continue to follow my story. I've read every reviews. And I mean EVERY single one of them MULTIPLE times. They really are the source of my power and what inspire me to write even when I'm very busy with university works and all. **Thank you very much. Really. I really appreciate every reviews and supports.**  
I'm posting this update in my International Financial Management class, so I'll keep this short. I hope you'll enjoy the chapter and thank you very much for all your supports!  
Also, this chapter is edited and proof-read by **AoKanojo. **Thank you very much!  
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

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**Chapter 22 Oath and Promise**

**Tatsumi Memorial Hospital**

The Dark Hour was ending when S.E.E.S. finally got Shinjiro to the hospital. No one had been able to speak a word, struck numb by the earlier climactic storm of events. The overall situation was explained to the S.E.E.S. members by Mitsuru, who seemed to have the best control over her emotions. Shortly afterward, the red headed senior decided to send the three juniors back to the dorm followed shortly after by Aigis, who was entrusted to take Koromaru and Ken back as well.

It was nearly two o'clock and only Akihiko, Hikaru and Mitsuru remained at the hospital. The leader of S.E.E.S. was still emotionally broken, as Akihiko had to hold her hand in order to keep her from falling apart. He had to leave her for a short while to talk to the doctor about Shinjiro's condition, but even with that momentary separation he couldn't help but look back at her with concern.

"I-It's…okay…" Hikaru tried her best to keep her voice steady, though with little success. "Just go…" She pulled her hand out of his grasp, resting it on her heart as if she was trying to calm herself.

"I'll be back soon, okay?" He assured her and received a faint smile as a reply. When he was gone, Hikaru had to muster what little energy she had left to keep herself from screaming. The girl slowly walked toward a certain room and quietly slipped inside, closing the door behind her.

Upon catching the sight of Shinjiro lying unconscious on the bed, Hikaru felt the tears overflowing again, the accompanying sting now a familiar companion. The brunette pressed her lips together as she approached him. The steady beeping sound was the only evidence that he was still alive. Even with such reassurance, Hikaru collapsed hopelessly at his side.

There was simply no way to articulate how much it pained her to see him like this, how much torture she was going through from the moment his hand slipped from her grasp. She felt like the world had stopped turning and every cell in her body had ceased to function. Her hand clawed at her chest, vaguely amazed that the organ inside could still beat while enduring such agony.

Trembling, she reached her hand out to Shinjiro's but gasped at the coldness of his skin, which only served to create another fresh wound inside her heart. Teardrops fell onto the back of her hand as she cringed, weeping inaudibly when helplessness hit her. Why couldn't she do something? Why couldn't it be her instead of him?

"Shinjiro…" His name escaped her lips. She forced herself to look at him, trying her best to hold back the tears as she took his hand into her grasp. "You're such…an idiot…" Despite her effort, tears were streaming down her face. "How can you ask me to forget you…? How am I going to live without you…?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, suppressing the sobs that were forcing their way out. "I need you… Shinji… I need you here… You can't leave me like this!" She clasped his hand tighter, in a futile attempt to recall her vanished strength. Of course, there was no response. He couldn't respond to her, no matter how much she wanted him to. The girl sobbed bitterly, shivering from the profound loss, and she pressed the icy hand against her forehead as warm tears flowed from her crimson orbs.

"Hikaru…" The sound of her name caused the brunette to flinch a little, and Akihiko felt an ache inside his heart upon seeing her sorrowful expression.

"He's not waking up…" Hikaru said under her breath, hands starting to quiver. "Why won't he wake up…? What should I do if he…" Her words were cut short by a faint cry she failed to suppress. She slowly stood up, but not before her knees gave out and she fell into Akihiko's arms. The silver haired boy was unable to find any words to say to her as he gently embraced the girl in front of him, hand caressing her head to calm her down.

The leader of S.E.E.S. gripped at his shirt like a lifeline, as if he was the last solid anchor left in her unraveling world. The boxer remained silent, allowing her to use him as a means to release her overwhelming emotions. He couldn't tell how much time had passed until the hands on his shirt slowly loosened.

"He's such an idiot…" She murmured, still kept her head down, refusing to look at him in the eyes.

"He is, huh." A sad smile graced his lips, though the words came out without him knowing how or why.

"He knew…" Hikaru paused, hesitating on how she should put it. "He knew that I liked you… He knew that I liked _both _of you…" She emphasized on the word _both _on purpose. "He knew it, all along… Yet, he didn't hate me… He wasn't even mad at me…" She let out a mirthless chuckle. "He wanted me to be with you, to forget him. He thought I'd be happy…" Another pause, followed by a sharp intake of breath. "How could he expect that from me? God… he's such an idiot…"

"He loves you," the gentleness in the tone caused her to look up at him. In that moment, Akihiko saw tiny teardrops in the corner of her eyes. "Even though he wouldn't admit it, I know just how much he loves you." He exhaled softly, his lips quirked into a self-deprecating smile. "I'm no match for him."

That last admission was a struggle for the silver haired boy. A silent sigh escaped as he averted his gaze, looking down at the floor beside him. Even after all this, it hurt him to admit that outright. Just before he walked into the room, he was unable to control his emotions and it got the best of him. His left hand balled into a fist in memory. There was a newly created bruise and several fresh cuts on the back of it as testament to his outburst.

He wasn't a weak person, but he wasn't invincible either—having Shinjiro wounded like this had shaken him to his core. He had cried, for the first time since the loss of his sister when he was still a boy. However, he was well aware of what his best friend would say to him if he'd seen him like this. Shinjiro sacrificed himself to protect what he intended to, and he entrusted his important person to his care. That was more than enough reason to for him to grab hold of his strength and determination again. After all, right now he was the only one Hikaru had left, the only one she could turn to at a time like this. That was why he couldn't let his best friend down, he wouldn't. He was here, with her, and he had to help her. He had to.

"What should I do…? I don't know what to do…Akihiko-senpai… Tell me… What should I do?" Hikaru's voice trembled in time with her shaking body. The word "senpai" at the end made Akihiko's heart twist in slight agony. He remembered well how Hikaru called his best friend, even with him and Ken there.

'_NO! Shinji! You can't! Don't leave me, PLEASE! I LOVE YOU!'_

The boxer felt a deep, piercing pain. He closed his eyes, clenching his hands tightly in order to calm the tormenting sensation within him. Silently, he placed his left hand on her shoulder, gaining the other party's attention.

"Be strong," he finally answered, looking deep into those ruby eyes. "You have to be strong, at least for you to keep your promise." His voice was steady, as though he was trying to convey his own feelings to her as well. "You promised him, didn't you? That you wouldn't cry. That you'd live for him. Are you going to break that promise you had with Shinji?"

"I…" Hikaru was at a loss for words as the voice of her senpai slowly sank into her mind. It was like reality came crashing over her. How could she act like this? How could she be so foolish as to overlook such an important truth? It was right here, all along. How could she did not see it? Of course, he was right. What was she doing?

As overwhelmed as Hikaru felt from the recent events, as hard as it was going to be, she had made promises to Shinjiro. She promised him to be strong. She promised him that he wouldn't cry. How would he feel if he saw her crying over him like this? This was the last and only thing he asked her to do, and she promised that she would.

Filled with newfound resolve, Hikaru shook her head and used the back of her hands to rub all the tears off. Everything had been made clear to her, and she wasn't going to let Shinjiro's sacrifice go to waste. When she finally looked up, a faint smile painted Akihiko's face as he saw the change in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Akihiko-senpai… But I'm alright now." She said, with forceful energy, before giving him a bright smile, full of purpose and fortitude. The brunette then turned around, walking to stand beside the bed, her hand gently touching Shinjiro's. "I'm sorry for being such a cry-baby before…" She started, exhaling softly. "But don't worry, I won't be anymore. I'll keep every promise I made with you, I swear. So rest well. The next time you wake up, you'll be hearing good news of how well we all fight to end the Dark Hour and Tartarus." She took another pause, leaning her face closer to him. "Please… Keep watching me… I won't let you down." A warm smile stretched across her face as she tenderly kissed him on the lips. Somehow, she could feel his warmth from the touch. Hikaru brought her mouth to his ears, whispering the words from her heart.

"I love you."

* * *

"…karu… Hikaru." The familiar voice pulled the girl back to reality. The leader of S.E.E.S. blinked rapidly, trying to gather her thoughts. She suddenly noticed that she wasn't on her feet. But how could everything around her move as if she was walking?

"I…" was all she managed to get out. Hikaru took a deep breath. The pair of beautiful ruby eyes glanced around, only to be startled by charming grey eyes looking straight at her from just a short distance away. It took the girl another few seconds to absorb everything around her.

She was in Tartarus. Not only that, she was in Akihiko's arms –no, scratch that– more like he was carrying her. Yes, that was more like it.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his voice full of worry and tenderness. Hikaru had to blink again before giving him a nod.

"Ah… Yeah, I'm okay," she answered shyly, finally grasping what was going on. Yes, she was indeed in Tartarus. She defeated a Shadow with the last of her strength, resulting in her silver haired team member stepping in and lifting her into his arms while Yukari was still arguing with Junpei.

"You sure? You were quiet for a long time, so I got worried," came the slightly anxious comment from the man carrying her. The words brought a light smile on her face.

"I just… Um… I suddenly remembered something…" She said softly, still wearing a faint smile. Akihiko just raised his brow.

"Hmm? What about?"

"Ah… About the past…" She answered, keeping her gaze down. "You know… About all that happened. How you and I…um… fall for each other…" her voice was low, almost a whisper, but Akihiko could hear everything clearly. "About Shinjiro… and the promise I had with him…" A soft sigh left her lips. "I miss him…"

"I know…" Akihiko said in a gentle voice, hand stroking her hair softly. "I do too…" The boxer felt a familiar sensation rise up within him as his mind recalled what he said to his best friend that night.

* * *

_After saying what was in her heart, Hikaru gave Akihiko another bright smile before leaving the room. It was almost morning and she had to get ready for school despite what happened._

_Finally get a chance to be alone, Akihiko walked up to his best friend, looking at him with strength and determination in his eyes._

"_Don't worry, Shinji…" He said. There was no hint of hesitation or uncertainty in his voice. __"I'll protect her. Always."_

_

* * *

_

Akihiko tightened his embrace, brushing a stray hair out of Hikaru's face and planting a light kiss on her forehead. His gaze met hers. This time, it revealed every feeling he had inside his heart as he repeated his oath once more.

"I'll protect you. Always."

* * *

P.S. I hope you all still remember that all chapters up until now were all flashbacks from Chapter 1. So here we are, finally back to the point where the story started!

Again, I'm sorry that I won't be able to answer every review individually, but I've read all of them many times. Thank you so much for all your reviews and supports. It makes me very happy to see that more and more people are reading and enjoying my story. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting so long for this update. But I won't drop this story, I'll continue and finish it, I promise. My apologies for not being able to update constantly as before, but I'll try my best. I can't say thank you enough for all of you that still follow and read my story, but thank you. I really appreciate your supports. Without all of you, I won't be able to keep updating. Really, thank you.

I'll have to go now, sorry again for not be able to answer each review. But thank you for reading my story! I hope you enjoyed it.

Ah, also, Happy Valentine's Day everyone! (At least it's already 14th here in Thailand) I hope everyone find their love like Aki, Shinji and Hikaru here :3

**Holy Leonheart**


	24. Chapter 23 Night Raven

**Author's Note:** Hello, and once again, long time no see everyone! It has been quite a while since my last update and I have no excuse here. Things has been rough lately, with all university works and assignments combined with my own life as well. I won't go on to the details since I don't want to get you bored.

All I have to say is **thank you very much** for following my story and putting up with my lateness of update. Really, I'm grateful for all the reviews and words of inspiration. I'm so sorry that I can't promise you constant update like I used to do, but I promise I'll finish the story and I won't let you down.

Here I am with the new chapter! This chapter is one of a major turn of event and the welcoming chapter for the new arc of the story. You'll know when you read it.

So, I won't keep you guys here any longer. Here's chapter 23 with quite a turn of event!

Also, this chapter is edited and proof-read by **AoKanojo. **Thank you so much for all the work you've done for me and every inspiration and motivation to keep me going. Thank you.  
And as always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

* * *

**Chapter 23**** Night Raven**

It was dark.

That was the only thing Hikaru could tell aside from the mysterious atmosphere around her. She had no idea where she was, nor did she know how she ended up here in the first place. Just the air she was breathing alone was enough to make her feel uneasy inside. She knew there was something waiting for her here.

The next thing she knew, there was red everywhere, just like _that night_. The night she would never, ever forget, the night she lost one of the most important people of her life.

Suddenly, _he_ was there, lying still on what she couldn't confidently say was the floor. It was like he was floating in the air, dyed with dark red color as if he was in a pool of blood.

The vision in front of her made the excruciating memories of that night flash back before her eyes. Hikaru clenched them shut, screaming out as the same pain and torment pierced through her heart and soul, tearing at the unhealed scars in her chest. What did they want from her, showing her these horrible memories again?

"No.. it hurts.. make it stop…" She pleaded to no one, tears swelling up in her ruby eyes as she brought her hands to cover her head. It was too much. She couldn't move her legs, nor did she could make the images go away. She was forced to look at him, at the lifeless body in front of her.

_So you hate Death?_

A mysterious voice rang through her head. Hikaru blinked once, inhaling sharply.

"W…what?" were the only words she could get out. The beautiful crimson eyes darted back and forth, catching nothing that could be the source of the voice.

_People die every day. It's an inevitable fate._

A shadow suddenly appeared just next to her. It looked like a shadow of a boy around her height and age, but she wasn't able to see his face well. For some reason, she didn't feel scared or terrified; instead, those gentle yet lonely blue eyes triggered a sense of familiarity inside her.

The shadow turned to face her, it was then Hikaru noticed that he had a pair of black wings spreading out from his back. The atmosphere and the cryptic aura around him made him look like a black angel, an Angel of Death. As his eyes met hers, he reached his hand out to touch her face. His gaze then softened considerably. Somehow, they were so sad.

_Stay away from me…Hikaru…_

* * *

Hikaru's eyes snapped open, causing the series of images to fade into blurry memory. The girl quickly looked around, blinking rapidly before letting out a soft sigh of relief when she finally caught a sight of familiar figure sitting on the couch opposite to her. She was in the dorm lounge, and it was already dark outside.

"Hmm?" Akihiko raised his eyebrows, wearing a questioning look when he noticed the girl's unusual behavior. "What's wrong, Hikaru?"

The leader of SEES didn't answer right away as she had to take a few deep breaths in order to clear her head. She blinked again, suddenly aware that she was panting and her face was covered with sweat.

"I…" She paused, trying to gather her thoughts while the silver haired man got to his feet and came to sit next to her. "I think…I had a nightmare.." Still breathing hard, she brought her right hand up to massage her temple.

"A nightmare..?" He repeated, eyes studying her expression. "What kind?"

"Um…" The girl stopped for a moment, struggling to recall what the dream was about, but the second she attempt to do so, a sharp pain pierced through her head, causing her to grab her forehead, moaning in slight agony. "Argh! I… I can't remember…"

"Hey, hey… It's okay…" His strong arms pulled her into a warm embrace. The action made Hikaru's eyes widen in surprise for a bit before she started to relax and rested her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat which helped in calming her down. Her eyes slowly closed when she felt his hand patting her head gently.

"I can't remember the dream, but I do remember that it was a terrible nightmare… I remember…how scared I was…" The brunette muttered softly, hands trembling as she probed her subconscious, struggling to recollect what she had seen.

"It was just a dream…" He comforted, but the girl immediately shook her head, looking up until she could meet his eyes.

"It felt…so real…" She argued, voice quivering with unexplainable fear. "Whatever it was, it felt real, senpai. It hurts…"

He embraced her again, cutting her off. "Don't think about it…" His hand caressed her head tenderly as he said the words. "I'm here… So there's no need to be scared, okay?"

His words and his gentle voice brought her great comfort. Just being with him, having him hold her like this, she felt _safe_. Just simple words from his lips could make her feel at ease. It would erase her fear just by knowing he was here with her.

Memory came back with a shocking jolt. "It was _him_…" The words slipped from her mouth unconsciously. She started to recall the horrible scene bit by bit. "It was Shinjiro… covered in blood, just like _that night_…" Hikaru felt his body stiffen at the sound of her voice as his arms around her tightened.

Akihiko froze immediately at the information from the girl in his hold. He pressed his lips together, inhaling deeply in an attempt to keep his emotions under control. He noticed lately that whenever Hikaru talked about his best friend, she would refer to him as 'Shinjiro', not 'Senpai' or 'Shinjiro-senpai' as she used to. And the fact that she still addressed him as 'Akihiko-senpai' only when they were alone just multiplied the hidden distress within his heart.

He loved his best friend, without question. But to have the most important girl in his life calling his best friend's name while she wouldn't even address him by his save for when they were alone together caused him anguish. He didn't want to be Shinjiro's replacement. He wanted her to see him for who he was, to acknowledge him and his feelings uniquely, not as a substitute for anyone.

_So I still…can't make you happy without Shinji…huh?_

Akihiko reviewed his thoughts with bitterness. How could he ever ask her the questions that burned inside him, even though he'd kill to know the answer? He was desperate to know if she would ever look at him the same way she looked at Shinji. He wanted her to _love_ him, to understand how happy he would be if she would choose him.

His teeth sunk into his lip at the thought. Maybe he already knew the answer to that question. Maybe the awareness of what her answer would be scared him, that's why he couldn't force himself to ask despite how much he desired to.

He couldn't dare demand to know how she felt about him after what happened. How could he do that? He would certainly hurt her by asking the stupid questions within his mind. Just the idea of those scarlet orbs tinged with pain and sorrow just like when she looked at Shinji that night was enough to restrain him.

"Akihiko-senpai?" Her voice pulled him back to reality. He blinked, focusing his eyes to her face as she looked at him in worry. "Are you okay?"

"Y, yes. It's nothing." A smile graced his lips as he patted her head again. "It's late, so you should go to bed. We have school tomorrow."

"Ah, that's right." Hikaru let out a soft sigh. She almost forgot they had to get up early in the morning. "Well, thank you for cheering me up, senpai. I'm heading to bed now. Goodnight and see you tomorrow!"

And there she went, flashing a warm smile at him as a goodnight and heading toward the stairs. With his head awash with thoughts, all he could do was reflexively smile back at her before she walked away from him. Akihiko sighed to himself, eyes following her figure until she was out of sight.

She liked him, but he _loved _her. The silver haired boy closed his eyes. He never got a chance to tell her his true feelings before everything changed. He wasn't even sure if she still felt the same way as when she bared her emotions to him that night. She told him her heart belonged to _both _him and Shinji, but she never said she loved him.

'_NO! Shinji! You can't! Don't leave me, PLEASE! I LOVE YOU!'_

Under those circumstances, he understood why she would say that to his best friend, but it didn't mean the words themselves didn't strike him to the core. It was agony for him, more tormenting than any pain he could have believed possible.

But what could he do?

He couldn't ask her how she felt about him. He couldn't even tell her how much she meant to him or how that he would do anything for her to say the same words to him instead. He knew he was selfish, but he loved her, so much that he couldn't bear the thought of any guy taking her away from him.

He swore an oath to his best friend that he would protect her. It came naturally to him, considering she was the one and only girl he ever laid eyes upon. At first, he thought just being able to stay by her side and protect her would be enough. Just having her laughing and smiling for him _should be_ enough.

It wasn't enough, not even in the slightest.

He wanted her to call his name. He wanted her to belong to him entirely. Her heart and soul, he wanted to be able to call them _his_. Akihiko grimaced, hands clenching into fists. She was so close, yet he couldn't have her. If he were to reach out his hand and catch her, he felt like she'd disappear right before his eyes.

Exhaling loudly, the boxer leaned his head back and stared at the white ceiling. Had she ever thought of him that way? Was there any possibility that she would want him the same way he did her? After all that happened, when would be the right time for him to say that he loved her, that he wanted her to be his girl despite half of her heart being owned by his best friend? Questions after questions were pouring into his head, and he was able to answer none of them.

Letting out yet another sigh, Akihiko got to his feet and decided to head back to his bedroom. There was no use thinking about this. He had done this many times before, and the result was always the same.

He was able to be by her side and protect her. She would smile for him, that brilliant smile that brought light to his world just like it always did. At least, until the day someone else was able to steal her heart away, he would still have a chance to tell her his true feelings.

Little did he know, that day came quite faster than he'd expected.

* * *

**Gekkoukan High – Early Morning**

"Hey guys! Did you hear? There's a new guy transferring to our class!" The loud statement from Junpei caused Hikaru to pause, pulling the headphones out of her ears and raising a brow.

"Another one?" Yukari rolled her eyes. "Counting Hikaru here, it's like our third right? Why is it that all the transfer students are in our class? No offense, Hikaru." She turned to her best friend at the last sentence. Hikaru just smiled slightly.

"None taken."

"I hear the girls said he's quite a looker too! But hey! I'm a guy, that's why I'm passing the information to you girls."

"Again with the rumors," Yukari commented in a bored tone, while the leader of SEES giggled before flashing a smile to both her friends.

"We just have to wait and see, don't we?"

**Classroom 2-F – Morning**

Whatever she might have said to Yukari and Junpei, Hikaru wasn't too interested in the new guy. A new transfer student was just another student in the class. There were so many things going on in her life that she'd rather focus on her own issues than getting all excited about some new handsome guy. She wasn't even listening when Ms. Toriumi gave an introduction for the new transfer student. At that point, she was just ready to doze off into dreamland.

"My name is Ryoji Mochizuki." There was something in his voice that got her attention. The way he spoke his name and his casual tone caused the girl to look up. Somehow, she could hear his voice so clearly despite all the squealing from other girls in the class. "Nice to meet you."

Hikaru was looking at him as he said the words and, as if he was saying those words to her directly, a small smile curved his lips as their eyes met. He was looking straight at her and Hikaru felt a nostalgic feeling rising up within her heart. He had black hair just like a night raven with beautiful sapphire-like blue eyes.

Somehow, those eyes, charming and delicate with a hint of loneliness seemed to look straight through her. She felt like she knew that gaze, like she'd known this person from a long time ago.

Apparently, Ms. Toriumi was saying something about him, but at that time, Hikaru could care less. Her gaze was locked on him as he walked to his assigned seat, right next to her. Aigis was staring at him as well, but in a very different manner. Hikaru caught something like 'dangerous' from her lips.

As his blue eyes met her for the second time, the brunette looked away, refocused her attention to what had been written on the blackboard. However, the only thing she could think of was him and his mysterious gaze that seemed to be drawing her in.

**After School**

"Heeey! Hika-chan!" Again, Junpei's shouting got Hikaru's attention as the last bell rang—after all, with a voice that loud, how couldn't it? She quirked her brows upward, while her eyes darted over to her noisy friend. "Come meet Ryoji! This is Hikaru Akane, my best friend here!"

She smiled in defeat and slowly made her way to stand in front of Junpei. The boy from earlier then stepped forward as their eyes met once again. "I'm Ryoji Mochizuki. Nice to meet you." Hikaru forced back the same nostalgic sensation within her own heart and gave him a soft smile.

"Hikaru Akane. Nice to meet you too." He reached out for a handshake, but the second their hands touched, she suddenly shook his hand off, startling him. His azure orbs widened in surprise while she held her hand to her chest, looking down guiltily. "I-I'm sorry… I just…"

"Whoa, there! Ryoji! Girls don't like to be touched by a stranger." Junpei warned, eying at his new friend. "Careful around here."

"Oh, I'm sorry." The raven haired boy acknowledged the new piece of information then bowed slightly as an apology. "Are you okay? I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. It's just that…I feel like I know you from somewhere. Have we met before?"

"I…I don't think so." She said under her breath, struggling to remain calm as she took a step back. "I have to go, excuse me." And with that, she gathered her belongings in a hurry and rushed out of the classroom, leaving both Junpei and Ryoji completely perplexed by her actions.

Her feet brought her out of the school and once she was alone, Hikaru stopped at a large tree, breathing heavily with one hand still at her left chest. Her pupils were darting back and forth, completely restless.

His voice, his gaze, his touch, they felt so familiar that it scared her. It wasn't like she hated being touched by him; instead, she wasn't even surprised when his hand moved to grasp hers. It was as if she knew how his touch would feel, how the warmth of his hand would transfer to her skin and how his gentle voice would sound to her ears.

"No…" She gasped, noticing how her heartbeat rose up just by thinking of him. Her ruby eyes widened as one tiny teardrop fell from her eyes. "It can't be…"

_It was the same… The same feelings that made her heart race like crazy…_

_Just like when she was with Shinjiro and Akihiko…_

* * *

P.S. And the new arc begins! Well, I did say it's going to be love-triangle(s), I didn't say it's going to be only Aki/Hikaru/Shinji right? When I was playing P3P, the games kinda gave me hints after hints that there's something going on or there's a connection between female protagonist and Ryoji. (Well, one of them being his Social Links advance by itself, all you have to do is make time and accept his offer.) So I can't help but bring that point up in my story.

Okay, I don't want to spoil you, so I'll leave it at that.

Again, I can't say thank you enough for all reviews and supports you guys had and still given to me. I read all reviews, smiles and feel inspired every time I got an email saying I have new reviews for this story. I know I'm repeating this, but you guys are the source of my power. Thank you for pushing and helping me to continue this story up to this point. I'll finish this story and I won't let any of you down.

And again, I'm sorry for not being able to update constantly like I used to, but my life is in a complicated point right now. There're so many things going on and I don't know which to sort out first. I don't have much freetime like before and even if I do, there would be something coming up and stop me from writing. I hope I can update again soon. Sorry for not being able to set exact date, but I'll update as soon as possible, I promise.

Thank you again for all your supports.

**Holy Leonheart**


	25. Chapter 24 Azure gaze

**Author's Note:** Yes! I'm back with another chapter! Wow, I can't tell you how happy I was when I finish writing this chapter! It'd been a long while since I have time to catch my breath and write something! Finally I could write out another chapter!

To be honest, I had a HUGE and MAJOR writer's block and I couldn't write anything for months! I don't know why, but even though I was desperate to continue this story and write chapters for you guys, I couldn't find anything to write at all. It just all disappeared from my head. My brain was blank and sometimes was a mess, so much that it scared me to the point that I doubt if I could ever finish this story. I can't describe how relieved I was to be able to catch my thoughts and write this story again.

Anyway, all that aside, I'm back with the new chapter and my university starts again yesterday. I know my life would be busy once again, but I'll try to write as much as possible. I hope I wouldn't experience another writer's block or I'd seriously cry this time =w=

Okay, I won't keep you here any longer. Here's Chapter 24, the second chapter of the new arc!

Of course, this chapter is edited and proof-read by **AoKanojo. **Thank you so much for all the helps and inspiration you've given me! And for being my personal advisor for this story as well x3

And as always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoy the story/chapter and ***please*** review so I could improve! ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Persona**

* * *

**Chapter 24 Azure g****aze**

"_What happened?" A gentle, curious voice caused the owner of the room to look up from her __knees, tears running down her delicate face. Her red orbs, always so bright and cheerful, were full of despair as they met the blue gaze._

"_Pharos…" His name escaped her lips unconsciously. Standing next to her bed was a young boy with jet black hair and bright blue eyes that seemed to be glowing in the dark._

"_Why are you crying?" Another question from the mysterious boy, though Hikaru made no response. She looked at him blankly, tears still flowing from her eyes. She couldn't remember when she first met this boy in her room, but she did know he'd always appear only at the Dark Hour. However, she never asked why, and she wouldn't tonight either._

_The brunette took a deep breath before turning her head, avoiding his gaze. She sat rigid, eyes blank, trapped in a memory of scarlet and an echoing gunshot leading to the worst of nightmares._

_Light touch on the cheek got her attention, causing her to abruptly shake off the offending hand, eyes flaming despite brimming with tears. She glared at him, aggressively and angrily while he left his hand in the air, wondering what he did wrong to get such a reaction from her._

_Seeing his azure gaze wide__ with confusion, guilt and shame rushed over her. Pharos didn't do anything wrong, he was simply worried about her. However, she couldn't help but react that way since that action mirrored Shinjiro's last touch. She remembered how he touched her cheek so gently, so lovingly as his brown eyes turned into a heartbroken gaze when he noticed that the thick blood on his fingers were leaving dark red lines on her face._

"_I just…lost an important person…" She finally spoke, averting her gaze once again. The boy was still for a moment, the look in his aqua eyes changed slightly._

"_Death…huh…" He murmured, eyes now unfocused as if it wasn't him who was speaking. "People die every day. It's an inevitable fate. Yet, there's always someone crying over one's death."_

"_What…are you saying?" Hikaru said sharply, now looking directly at him. "Of course people would be sad. Just because people die every day doesn't mean we want it to happen."_

"_I don't understand," he mumbled, looking perplexed. "If you already know that everyone has to die someday, then you shouldn't be sad."_

"_It's because that person is important! That's why people are sad!" She shouted, __heatedly swiping the tears from her face. "If that person is important to you, of course you'd be lonely and sad when they're gone! It doesn't matter if you know it beforehand. You'd be sad nonetheless."_

"_Important…? Lonely…?" He repeated after being silent for a moment. "I have never known such things, since I don't have any memory of who I am," he stated and the sentence made Hikaru felt horrible inside._

"_I'm sorry…I didn't mean to-"_

"_But I think… I do understand what you mean…" he cut her off, slowly looking up and met her gaze. A soft smile played on his lips. "If you're gone, I'd be lonely and sad too."_

_Hikaru's eyes widened at his words, but he just smiled at her._

"_If you want to cry, that's okay. I'll be here. We're friends, right?"_

* * *

Hikaru snapped awake as she heard those words. The girl sat up in bed, hands massaging her temples.

_A dream…? No… a memory…_

The leader of SEES let out a soft breath as she turned to stare at the spot next to her bed. The spot where she found that mysterious boy whenever she woke up in middle of the night.

_Why am I…dreaming about Pharos now…?_

She questioned, laying back down on the soft material and pulling the blanket up to her neck. It had been more than a month since Pharos disappeared. He used to appear the night before the full moon to warn her of the upcoming 'ordeal', as he called it. From time to time, he'd appear the night after just to say that he knew she'd pass any test coming her way.

He said he now recalled who he was. The brunette mulled over this thought. He told her that he now knew what he must do and where he must be. However, he didn't tell her any details about his real identity even after he remembered. She knew nothing about him, yet, memories of her time with him were returning to her bit by bit.

A long sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes, trying to get back to sleep. She slowly fell into deep slumber not long after that, but she was unable to get the image of a certain someone out of her head.

* * *

**Next Morning – Iwatodai Station**

The morning train was crowded as usual. Hikaru made her way through business people and students to stand near the door, letting out an exasperated huff afterward. She cursed herself for having overslept that morning, almost missing this train. She couldn't imagine what her noisy friend, Junpei, would be saying if she was late today. After all, it was very seldom that he left the dorm before she did. The brunette was sure he wouldn't miss his chance to mock her about it.

"Akane-chan?" The familiar voice caused her to jump a bit, interrupting her thoughts. She turned around, only to feel her heart race at the sight of a boy with beautiful blue eyes heading toward her direction.

"Mochizuki-kun…?" She heard herself say absently.

"What a coincidence!" A smile stretched across his face almost immediately. "I'm so happy I'm able to meet you so early, Akane-chan."

The girl just gave him a dry smile. For a second there, she wasn't sure what to answer, thoughts choked off with that familiar feeling he again stirred in her. "Good morning," was all she could come up with.

"Just call me Ryoji," he said, still smiling brightly as if seeing her here was the best thing that happened to him.

"Ah…" Once again, she found herself unable to say anything. Part of it was due to that inexplicable sensation of nostalgia he evoked in her, but also it was due to the manner that he talked to her. It was as if he had known her already for quite some time. "S..So, Ryoji-kun, are you familiar with the school yet?"

"Yes. Everyone is so nice to me. Just yesterday, many girls offered to show me around the school, so now I'm quite confident that I wouldn't get lost today."

_So he's popular since his first day __at school, no surprise there. _Hikaru thought to herself, chuckling softly.

"What's so funny?" he asked curiously, noticing her laugh but the girl just shook her head.

"Nothing. Ah! We're here! Let's go!" And with that, she took off without giving him a chance to respond. The raven-haired boy sighed to himself, having no choice but to follow her as she headed for Gekkoukan High.

**Classroom 2-F – Morning**

"Yo! Hika-chan!" A loud and cheerful greeting rang through the air as Hikaru rushed into the classroom. As expected, Junpei had this mocking smirk plastered all over his face. "It's rare to see you arrive at school later than me, huh? What did you do? Up all night playing the latest game I gave you?"

"Like that'd happen!" She countered, throwing her bag on her desk. Before Junpei could say more, the sight of Ryoji walking into the class just about the same time as their leader made his smirk turn into a mischievous grin. "What's that face supposed to mean?"

"Hmm… I begin to think you 'overslept' on purpose now…" Hikaru's brow rose up at the words. She turned her head, saw Ryoji, finally got what her friend meant, then narrowed her eyes.

"Oh come on, you can't be serious…"

"I'm dead serious!" was his answer. He then received a playful (but quite strong) punch to his stomach as a reward.

"I ran into him on the train. And *look* before you say anything," Hikaru said, making a pointed gesture behind her. Junpei followed the motion, and he had to cock his head to the side as he saw that Ryoji was surrounded by girls now. "Do you think I'd put myself in trouble and go through *that*?"

"Whoa, man. He really is popular, huh? It's only his second day at school after all!" The brunette made a noise in her throat which sounded like a laugh as she sat down at her desk, causing Junpei to do so as well.

"He said those girls already approached him since yesterday." She explained, and Junpei could only form his mouth into an 'o' shape. Hikaru wondered if he was jealous or just amazed.

Ms. Toriumi entered shortly afterward, bringing an end to the conversation. Junpei was asleep before the teacher could even finish her introduction of the day's class, while Hikaru was ready to doze off herself. Luckily, she was able to stay focused and not sleep, mostly thanks to Junpei's snoring.

**Lunchtime**

Hikaru, Junpei and Yukari had a quick lunch and were talking together, waiting for lunchtime to end. The topic of conversation revolved around Shadows, Tartarus and Dark Hour at first, then turned into a less serious one when the loud noises of many girls were heard again.

Yukari turned her attention to the cause of it all. "He really is popular, isn't he?"

The leader of SEES' interest piqued with the new conversation topic. Her eyes lazily moved to the raven-haired boy, noticing that his fangirl group was larger than it was this morning. Hikaru watched how he said sweet words to those girls so easily, so _naturally_ as if it was a normal thing to do.

Hikaru found herself rolling her eyes at the thought. No matter her unexplained feelings about him, she didn't like the type of guy who could pull a fake smile or say sweet and romantic words to girls that he didn't even have feelings for. She didn't like a guy who would accept any invitation if it came from a girl, or a guy who could smooth-talk his way into and out of anything.

She preferred someone more straight-forward and shy. Someone who would be embarrassed to talk to the girl he liked, someone who wouldn't admit his feelings directly but would be willing to confess them with a blush if he needed to. A gentle smile curved her lips as a thought of that 'someone' appeared in her mind.

Sudden girlish screams, even louder than the ones before, interrupted her thoughts. She looked up, only to find that the cause wasn't Ryoji, but a silver-haired senpai who, as she expected, was blushing slightly as he stood at the classroom door, looking nervous.

"Sanada-senpai!" Hikaru called out, and a soft smile appeared on his face upon hearing her voice. She exchanged a glance with Yukari, who nodded approvingly, before getting to her feet and walking toward the door. She gave Akihiko a warm smile, in which his gaze grew gentler upon catching sight of her.

Ryoji's azure gaze immediately locked onto the brunette. He was unable to focus on what his fangirls were saying as he watched Hikaru walk out of the classroom with the silver haired senior. Ignoring the group of girls surrounding him, he made his way to stand next to Junpei.

"Junpei-kun, who was that?" The owner of the name was quite surprised by the sudden question, though he gave a loud answer as usual.

"Oh, you're new so you might not know him, but he's one of the most popular guys in school! His name is Akihiko Sanada, he's a third year. A boxing champion and captain of the school boxing team." Junpei explained admiringly. "He's got even more fangirls than you, I think. Don't try to compete with him."

"It's not that," he replied, flashing a glance toward the door. "Are they close?"

"They?" It took Junpei another split second to figure out which 'they' his friend was talking about. "Oh, Hikaru? Yeah, Hika-chan is the only one who could stop Sanada-san if he were to lose it. Ah, no.. Hmm..how should I say this?" He pondered for a moment, trying to phrase his thoughts.

"Don't tell anyone about this, but when it comes to girls, Sanada-san wasn't really good at it. To be honest, he wasn't even interested in them, but when it comes to Hika-chan, it's different." He took a pause. "Well, we can all say that he has a soft spot for her."

"We?" The boy repeated. Realizing what he'd said, Junpei was about to panic if it weren't for Yukari who grabbed his back painfully, stopping his words.

"Yeah, we. We've seen them together before, I could confirm that what this Stupei said is true." She tightened her grip as she noticed Junpei trying to say something. "You see, we all live in the same dorm, Sanada-senpai, Stupei, Hikaru and I. Also, Fuuka, Aigis and Mitsuru-senpai too."

"Y-Yeah! That's why we know them so well! Hahah…" Junpei forced the words out before turning his head, whispering under his breath. "Can you let go of me now, Yuka-tan, I feel like you're leaving a bruise."

"Fine," Yukari made an annoyed sound in her throat but finally let go. She then snapped her attention to the new guy's current expression. It was interesting how he pretended everything was fine, but it reflected on his face that he was troubled by the newly received information.

"I'm back!" Hikaru greeted happily, obviously beaming with delight. However, she raised her brows in concern after detecting the change of atmosphere around her friends. "What are you guys talking about?"

"It's nothing, Hika-chan. Don't worry about it! Ahaha…" Junpei tried to laugh it off, earning a killing gaze from Yukari so he decided it would be best for him to shut up immediately.

"What's wrong, Ryoji-kun? You don't seem well…" Being the leader that she was, Hikaru immediately noticed the strange expression the dark-haired boy was wearing.

Ryoji was silent for a moment, hesitating whether or not he should ask the question that was currently on his mind. In the end, he just smiled lightly.

"No, it's nothing. I'm okay. Thank you for worrying about me." His voice was gentle, yet mysterious. At times, Hikaru was unable to tell what his true thoughts were, and still did that voice and those eyes cause strange emotions to rise up repeatedly inside her.

"Alright, if you say so…" Pushing away the unbidden feelings, she decided that it would be imprudent to question him further, given the fact that they weren't that close yet. The brunette flashed him a quick smile before turning her attention to her best friend.

As she was talking, smiling and laughing with Yukari and Junpei, a certain azure gaze didn't leave her figure the entire time, though she was unaware of it.

_He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to find out what __was behind the longing sensation he felt when he looked into her eyes. He didn't want that smile to be given to someone who wasn't him._

His lips curved into a sad grin, while he spoke quietly to himself.

"It's nothing…Nothing at all."

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P.S. Now, it's my personal rambling space. *Please don't mind me* I notice that some of you decided not to review the previous chapter. Oh well, I can't blame you guys with my inconsistent updates anyway =w= I know, I'm guilty as charged. I'm SO SORRY! (Mysterious voice: Oh, so you do know you left this story un-updated for MONTHS!)

But I'd be VERY happy to read more reviews, please! They're sources of my inspirations and my power! It's what keeps me writing!

Okay, enough of my selfish request =w= Sorry about that. On to the story now. I hope Shinji's fans are still reading this story xD Sorry that all this put Aki in spotlight, but I have to keep the drama going! With Shinji out for now, (and the fact that I don't like Ken, =w= Sorry, I couldn't bring myself to like shota), and Junpei is a best friend-kind-of-person (based on his in P3P and the vibes he gave off), I'm left with Ryoji, in which he is very suitable to be Aki's love rival if I would say so myself.

Well, first thing first, his Social Link advances by itself, you just have to accept his "invitation", and second, I kinda get the feeling that he's the 'destined one' for FeMC. Oh well, maybe that's just me, but it'd bring a good potential for drama elements right?

Now, onto answering reviews! (Finally! I have time to do this xD)

**Whiteheaven**: Yeah, I finally updated again xD So sorry about the delay though. To be honest, I was thinking about that too, for Akihiko to find someone else. But I have to rethink it because the main focus of Akihiko in my story is how sincere and strong his love for Hikaru is, that's why I decided to drop it, or else all images of Aki that I was building throughout the whole story would be shaken. However, I'm very excited to write aggressive Akihiko though! You'll see soon enough x3 Thank you so much for your constant review! (and for putting up with my inconsistent updates) I'll do my best x3

**Deidara'sgirl19**: YES! I finally get to update! X3 *hugs back* I had a MAJOR writer's block and couldn't write anything for months! I wonder if it'll continue =w= I hope Ryoji would bring more conflict to the story (since Shinji is gone for now, after all.) I saw your story but haven't had time to read and review it yet. I noticed that your story is VERY popular now xD Congrats! And thank you for your review x33 I'll try to update again as soon as possible!

**tsuki-no-usagi-kaguya-hime**: Thank you for understanding TwT I had very bad writer's block and couldn't write a word even though I was dying to update this story again! Thank you so much for sticking with me and putting up with my inconsistent updates. I really appreciate your support! Thank you! I'll do my best!

**AlexanderiteWaterAngel**: Oh, hello and welcome to my story! I always love when there's new reader/reviewer for my story! *hands you a cookie* Thank you for the compliment and support! Since I'm also suck at grammar, so I'm still learning and trying to improve x3 Thank you so much for your review! (and it is nice to see any review, don't worry about it!) I'll try to update as quick as possible! Thank you again!

**Cielle's Amour**: Helloooo x3 I miss you! *hugs* Don't worry about not being able to review! I'm glad to know that you're still reading and enjoying my story XD (Also, thank you for putting up with my lateness/delay, I had a HUGE writer's block and couldn't write anything for months!) Thank you for your support! I'll do my best! ^^

**TifaStrifeinlove**: Hi there! *gives you a BIG BIG hug* THANK YOU SO MUCH for your review! X3 I've missed you! I'm so glad to see that you're still following my story! (Given my delay and inconsistent updates for months) Hehe, you're pure Shinji's fan are you? Well, since he would be out for now, I have to create something to bring out more drama xD Pls forgive me for putting Aki in spotlight, lol. (But Shinji did get a major role in prior arc, so now it's Aki's turn, I guess?) Thank you again for continuous support and your wonderful review! I'll do my best and try to update as soon as possible!


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